Falling For Battousai
by starry night blue
Summary: [COMPLETE!]She met him in the rain, it was only for a moment...but that moment changed her life... What happens when FBI agent Kaoru Kamiya meets up with the assassin Kenshin Himura? [Edited and rewritten]
1. In the Rain

**D/C: I don't own RK…not even one character…**

**Here goes another RK story of mine. To be honest, I don't know where I got the idea of this one, but it seemed like such a good one I couldn't let it pass without writing it down. I hope you have fun reading it just as I had fun writing it.**

**Enjoy.**

**CHAPTER 1: In the Rain**

FBI agent Kaoru Kamiya crouched low behind a large wooden crate. Her gun lay a few feet away from her, she could just reach out and grab it…but yet, she couldn't. Her heart thumped loudly against her chest, and she began to perspire. She breathed so quickly her lungs ached under the load of too much air. She was an agent without a gun…that, definitely, wasn't a good situation in a criminal-FBI shootout. She found herself wishing she had brought a spare gun along, but it was too late for that now…

Slowly, Kaoru peered around the crate. The coast was somewhat clear. It was now…or never…

She lunged out from behind the crate, grabbed her gun and ducked behind another wooden box, barely escaping the shower of bullets which had showered upon her. She leaned against the wood, holding the gun up to her chest and inhaling deeply, not believing she was still alive. But this was far from over. She gripped her gun and gritted her teeth in frustration. _Where the hell did Sano go?_

Suddenly, she felt a movement behind her. She spun around, holding her gun in front of her at arm's length.

'Whoa! Hold it!' her fellow agent, Sanosuke Sagara exclaimed. 'You weren't going to shoot me, were you?'

'Don't come up behind me like that if you don't want to be shot!' she snapped, although she was feeling quite relieved to see him. She lowered her gun and sighed. 'Please tell me you've got strategy.'

Sano nodded, grinning. 'I'll go face them and stand in their way of bullets…that'll distract them enough for you to come up behind them and shoot…this way they'll be surrounded and we'll definitely have them then,' he said in a rush.

Kaoru stared incredulously at him. 'Are you insane? You'll get yourself killed!' she hissed.

Sano smiled and shook his head. 'First rule of the FBI; don't get yourself killed,' he reminded her. 'I'm not about to break rules.'

'This from a guy who does nothing but break rules,' Kaoru said, smiling weakly.

He squeezed her shoulder gently. 'Faith is the word,' he told her. He held out his gun. 'Alright, on the count of three I step into the field and you run, okay? One. Two. Three!'

Sano dashed into the open and an immediate exchange of gun fire was heard. Kaoru took in a deep breath and ran. Sano was right; those thugs were completely occupied to notice her. She ran up from behind them and held out her gun. 'Hey, fellas! Look behind you!' she shouted, gleefully. The five bank robbers spun around; apparently confused…and trapped. They stopped their gunfire. Kaoru caught Sano winking at her from the other side. Kaoru fired a couple of bullets near their feet. 'Alright, drop your weapons and nobody gets hurt!'

'Ha! You gotta be kidding!' one crook shouted, probably their leader.

'You know, I forgot to tell you backup is on the way,' Sano remarked. 'You won't be able to escape, anyway.'

Kaoru swallowed hard, but kept her gun steady. She hoped Sano knew what he was doing, because she certainly didn't remember calling for backup, and that would certainly prove to be a problem, but she decided to play along, anyway. 'Yeah, we called them in ages ago so they should be here in a few minutes,' she said.

'That's not a problem! We can take you before your backup arrives,' another crook snarled.

'C'mon, you can't be that upset because we interrupted your meeting!' Sano said, smiling sweetly at them.

'Oh, believe me, we are,' the first one hissed.

Kaoru glanced at Sano, and he nodded. They both unleashed their bullets. The robbers shouted and scattered, struggling with their guns. When the dust had cleared out, they were able to see that two crooks had been hurt in the process. They lay on the floor, clutching their wounds.

'Get up, you morons!' their leader barked, while he, himself, kept shooting at them. He was standing with his back to the wall, so he could keep an eye on both the agents, but even he was able to do a bit of math; they were three against two; which was definitely not a good situation for them.

'Kaoru, shoot at their boss!' Sano shouted, pulling continuously at his trigger.

Kaoru wanted to, but her gun needed loading. She ducked behind another crate, and immediately started loading her gun.

'Kaoru!' Sano yelled, battling against three crooks alone.

'Coming, coming!' she murmured anxiously, stuffing the bullets into her gun. Then came a gun shot…and a strangled yell. 'Oh, my God! Sano!'

She leapt up to her feet and had barely taken a few steps when...

'Gotcha.'

-

Sanosuke watched helplessly as on of the thieves grabbed Kaoru as she stepped out from behind the crate and pinned her arms behind her. Her gun flew out of her hand and clattered to the floor. He winced in pain and clutched his arm where the bullet had hit him.

'Drop your gun or your little friend gets it!' the man yelled.

'No, Sano, don't!' Kaoru cried, but the man holding her put his hand over her mouth, muffling the rest of her words. Her eyes were wide and terrified, but she still shook her head.

Sano winced again; the loss of blood was making him feel a bit drowsy. Nevertheless, he kept a firm grip on his gun.

'Drop it!' their boss shouted.

Sano didn't know what to do. He wouldn't forgive himself if something happened to Kaoru, after all, he was the one who had talked her into coming with him to this warehouses' area, which was a good distance away from town. He had gotten information about the whereabouts of a bank-robbing gang, and had wanted to go there quickly. He had brought Kaoru along…and now he and Kaoru were probably going to be killed, and it was his entire fault.

'Drop the gun!' the leader commanded.

Sano grimaced. 'I'm sorry, Kaoru,' he whispered, and loosened his grip around the weapon.

But he stopped, and he stared.

'Yes, by all means, drop the gun,'

'Captain Sagara!' Sano exclaimed, feeling relieved. He was never this happy to see the Captain's face.

The Captain held the leader at gun point. 'Do I have to repeat myself? I said, drop the gun,' he said. With an angry growl, the man dropped his gun. 'Now hold up your hands where I can see them,' he ordered, and turned to the guys holding Kaoru. 'Let go of her or your boss gets a full blast of _my _gun…then I want you and your friends to drop your guns, too.'

The two thugs hesitated, but a sharp glance from their leader made them do what they had been told.

Kaoru rushed to Sano's side. 'Are you okay?' she asked anxiously.

'Fine,' he grunted.

Captain Sagara summoned the other agents, who were apparently waiting outside the warehouse, and after he'd made sure that the five crooks were securely captivated, he walked over to Sano and Kaoru. 'How's your wound?' he asked, sounding grave.

'It's okay,' Sano murmured, avoiding eye contact.

The Captain sighed. 'What were you two thinking?' he demanded. It was remarkable how quickly he was able to change the tone of his voice.

Sano gulped. Captain Sagara was more like a father than a Captain to him, but that didn't earn him any special treatment and it certainly didn't stop the Captain from being strict. 'Please, Captain…keep Kaoru out of this,' he pleaded. 'It was all my idea.'

'I don't care whose idea it was, you shouldn't have come here,' the Captain said.

'I know, but once I knew the whereabouts of these guys, I…' Sano said.

'You decided to work of your own account and catch them single-handed without notifying me…is that it?' Captain Sagara said sharply. 'And after I've continuously warned you about acting on your own...wasn't that what happened?'

Sano stared down at the floor. 'Yeah, something like that,' he murmured. 'But I only did it because…'

'I don't care what the reason is!' the Captain said angrily. 'You did wrong, you both could've been killed…you had no right to do what you did…it's just lucky I discovered where you were going and followed you, or else we'd probably be cleaning up the mess left by your bodies.'

'I'm sorry,' Sano murmured.

'Sorry isn't enough, mister…' Captain Sagara replied.

'Stop yelling at him! He told you he was sorry!' Kaoru interrupted him. 'Can't you see he's hurt?'

'Kaoru, what are you doing?' Sano hissed.

Kaoru ignored him and went on. 'Being his father or guardian or whatever you are doesn't give you the right to scold him from every single mistake!' she said. 'Others have made the same mistakes and haven't got so much as a glare from you! Heck, he did this to make you feel proud!'

'But I _am _proud…' the Captain sputtered.

'Yeah? Well, your pride and joy needs medical treatment!' Kaoru snapped. 'C'mon, Sano.' She grabbed his hand and pulled a baffled Sanosuke after her, leaving an even more baffled Captain behind her.

-

'Kaoru, thanks,'

Kaoru sighed and let go of Sano's hand. 'Don't mention it,' she muttered.

Being his best friend, she knew Sano would've never let anyone scold him or yell at him, but with Captain Sagara it was a different case. Sano would never stand up to himself in front of the Captain. He was strongly afflicted to the Captain, and he deeply admired and respected him. Sano was possessed with the idea of making the Captain proud of him, and he would never do a thing to disobey him. But she just couldn't stand by and watch him being scolded…even if it were by Captain Sagara.

'C'mon, I gotta hurry you to the hospital before your wound gets infected,' she said. They climbed into their car, and Kaoru hurried him off to the hospital. The ride was a silent one, and Kaoru knew that Sano was still thinking about the Captain, but she didn't stress on the matter. They reached the hospital, and Kaoru pulled him towards the building. 'Megumi!' she called as they pushed through the double doors of the emergency section.

'I'll call her for you,' a nurse offered, and went off to get the doctor.

They waited patiently in the aisle, with Sano gripping his wound tightly to prevent any further loss of blood. Dr. Megumi Takani appeared down the corridor, an irritated look upon her face. 'Oh, c'mon, please! Not again!' she protested, once she had spotted them. 'This is the third time this month!'

Sano smiled apologetically. 'Well, I don't tell the bullets to hit me, you know,' he pointed out.

She sighed in exasperation. 'Just…let me fix you up,' she said wearily. Sano and Kaoru followed her into an empty room with two beds. Sano sat down on one bed and Kaoru plopped down on the other, exhausted. Megumi pushed a stray lock of hair away from her face. 'Alright, take your shirt off so I can have a close look,' she said, pulling on a pair of surgical gloves.

'Sure, I wouldn't mind showing off my pumped biceps every once in a while,' Sano said, pulling off his long-sleeved black t-shirt.

'Please! I've seen _women _with stronger muscles!' Megumi mused, rolling her eyes, and Kaoru laughed.

'You don't mean that,' Sano said, rather doubtfully, as he narrowed his eyes at her.

Megumi ignored him and started inspecting his wound. 'Not as bad as the last one,' she commented after a moment. 'The bullet hasn't gone deep inside, I can easily remove it…but I can tell you'll be having a scar.'

'Great! The more the merrier!' he said sarcastically. 'How many scars have I got till now? Four?'

'Six,' Megumi corrected him, and they both frowned curiously at her. 'Wouldn't hurt to be keeping count, but never mind that…you know, Sano, you wouldn't hurt yourself this much if you weren't too reckless.'

'Megumi, the fun in being an FBI agent is doing reckless stuff,' Sano said, saying it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

'Spare me,' she drawled, starting to remove the bullet. She succeeded in pulling it out after several minutes in which none of them said a word, since Megumi always demanded quiet while she worked. She finally pulled it out and held it up before his face. Sano grimaced. 'There! Wanna keep it or should I chuck it out?'

'Are you kidding? I'd love to keep it as a souvenir,' he cracked.

Megumi sighed and dropped the bullet into the dust bin. 'Now stay still while I rub antiseptic onto your wound,' she instructed him, as she got out a bottle of antiseptic and a piece of cotton wool, and poured some of the transparent liquid on it. 'This might hurt.'

'Go on, nothing ever…ARGH!' he cried.

'Way to go, brave guy,' Kaoru said, smirking.

Sano scowled. 'Why don't you try it? It stings like hell!' he snapped.

Megumi dabbed the cotton wool on his wound some more, before finally dropping it in the garbage bin. 'Could I ask for a favor?' Megumi asked, as she started working on the stitches.

'No, wait…don't say it…it's Izumi, right?' Sano asked.

Megumi nodded, without raising her eyes from her work. Izumi was her boyfriend, and they'd been going out for over two months now. Megumi never got to see much of him, though, because he spent a lot of time in prison. Kaoru groaned. 'What has he done now?' she demanded.

'Well, the usual, shop-lifting,' Megumi murmured. 'He stole a television this time.'

'Word of advice, have him steal something smaller next time,' Sano said, snickering.

Kaoru frowned at him, and he stopped. 'Or even better, have him not stealing anything next time,' she retorted. She sighed and turned to Megumi. 'Why do you stay with this guy? You can do much better than him.'

A sly smile came upon Megumi's lips. 'Well, you know, he has some good points,' she said, mischievously.

Kaoru smiled knowingly. 'Gotcha,' she said.

Sano blinked and looked from one to the other, hoping that he'd get a glitch of what the two of them were saying. But when neither of them seemed to want to explain, he folded his arms against his chest and scowled at them. 'Are you planning to tell me what that meant sometime soon?' he demanded.

'Oh, Sanosuke, you're such a baby…not understanding the terms of grown-ups,' Megumi teased him.

'Shut up!' he fumed.

Megumi laughed and finished treating his wound. She started packing away her medical equipment. 'There, done…you're as good as new,' she said, patting his arm. 'Just come after three or four days so I could take out the stitches.'

Sano pulled on his shirt and slid off the bed. Kaoru followed suite. 'Thanks for sparing us some of your time, Megumi,' she said.

'Oh, don't worry about that...it's always interesting to treat bullet wounds,' the doctor replied, making a careless gesture with her hand. Sano became red in the face. 'No, really, it's no big deal. In fact, I should be the one thanking you.'

'Yeah, we'll get Izumi out of his cell in no time,' Kaoru assured her, heading for the door.

'Bye,' Sano said.

'Good bye,' Megumi said, smiling.

Sano looked over his shoulder at Megumi as they started down the corridor, who was heading in the opposite direction. 'That Megumi is such a fine lady,' he commented, looking back in front of him. 'Pretty, smart…'

Kaoru stared at him as she stepped out through the door of the ER section. 'Sanosuke, are you saying that you _like _Megumi?' she demanded.

He shrugged. 'What's not to like?' he said, and paused for a moment. 'Forget it, there's someone who liked her first.'

Kaoru didn't say anything after that, but cried out suddenly as she remembered something.

'What?' Sano asked, alarmed.

She was slapping herself on the forehead. 'Oh, I'm supposed to meet Saitou for lunch! I've forgotten two lunches with him already and I don't want him thinking I'm ignoring him or something,' she said, frantically. 'I'm already ten minutes late!!'

'Ok, you go have lunch with him, and I'll take care of Izumi,' Sano told her. 'Just drop me off at the police station on your way, alright?'

-

'Sorry I'm late!'

Saitou Hajime looked up as Kaoru plopped down on the seat across from him. 'Hello,' he said quietly.

'Hi!' she breathed, pushing strands of her hair away from her flushed face.

'What took you this time?' Saitou said, frowning.

Kaoru smiled nervously. 'Sorry, we were chasing a bunch of bank crooks… and I got caught up in the action, you know,' she told him. 'And then I had to take Sano to the hospital because he got shot.'

'Again?' he said incredulously. 'That guy's a magnet for trouble.'

Kaoru laughed. 'Yeah, I suppose he is,' he agreed. 'Even Megumi...the doctor at the hospital...was telling him that.'

Saitou smiled lightly. 'But, Sagara aside...' he said. He and Sano had never gotten along, because on their first meeting, Sano had accidentally spilled beer over Saitou, and the latter had taken offence. Kaoru thought it was rather silly, but then again, she was never an expert when it came to the guy codes, so she just tried to stop them meeting again. '...did everything go okay with the crooks? Did you get them in the end?'

'Yeah, we go them...although we did get into some trouble for acting on our own,' she said quickly, and Saitou raised an eyebrow at her. She smiled. 'But everything's fine now!! They're being questioned at the agency this very instant. So, shall we order?'

Saitou nodded, and picked up his menu. 'What will you be having, then?' he asked.

'Oh, whatever you want, I don't mind,' she said, smiling at him.

Yeah, okay, so she and Saitou weren't a match made in heaven, they were totally different from each other and had nothing in common, but that was the fun part; to explore new things and things she thought she hated…it was all so intriguing…besides, she really liked Saitou…and it really did help that he was a cop, which meant that she didn't have to act like some mystery girl who had to leave in the middle of an _intimate _session because, say, her cat got cancer.

'How does the chicken fillet sound?' Saitou asked, peering over the menu.

'Lovely,' she replied.

Saitou summoned a waitress and had her jot down the order. He waited for her to walk away before looking seriously at Kaoru. 'Sweetheart, when you said _acting on your own_, you didn't mean that you went and defied strict instructions for the sake of some glory, did you?' he said.

Kaoru was a bit taken aback. Never mind his freaky ability of being able to tell what was on her mind, Saitou was obsessed with instructions and rules and laws. She was positive that if she told him she was an escaped convict, he'd put her directly in jail. 'Yeah, something like that...' she murmured. 'Look! It's started to rain!'

Saitou sighed and glanced out the window. 'I love the rain,' he told her.

'You do?' Kaoru said, surprised.

'Yeah, don't you?' he asked.

'It's fine with me,' she told him, glancing out the glass pane at the people running about trying to find shelter from the rain. 'When I don't have to get wet, though…thank goodness I'm in here and not out there!' Saitou didn't say anything, and just kept staring out at the rain. She cringed; she hated it when he became all silent. 'So...how was your work today?'

'Fine,' he said. '…boring.'

'C'mon, it can't be that bad,' Kaoru said.

'You might think that a policeman's job is wonderful…but it's not, really,' Saitou told her.

'Yeah, right,' Kaoru snorted.

'Yeah, I mean, with you taking all the big cases, there's really nothing left for us policemen to do,' Saitou said. 'You get all the big gigs, and all we get are the left-overs, and you know, it's no fun cleaning up left-overs.'

Kaoru was about to say something in reply when her beeper rang shrilly. Sighing in exasperation, she unhooked it from her belt and glanced at the screen. She groaned. 'What could he possibly want now?' she fumed.

'Who is it?' Saitou asked.

'Captain Sagara…he wants me back at the agency…pronto,' she mumbled. She wondered inwardly what the Captain wanted to see her for, and hoped that it wasn't to punish them for acting against his orders today. She looked timidly at Saitou. 'Oh, I'm really sorry, Saitou, but I really have to go!'

'No, it's okay,' he muttered. 'I'll cancel out your order...and you go do what you have to do.'

'Thanks...I'll try to make it up to you, okay?' she said softly.

'Yeah, okay,' he murmured.

Kaoru gave him a quick kiss on the lips before hurrying out of the restaurant to get her car. She pulled her jacket over her head and ran to the parking lot. Oh, the irony of life. A few moments ago she was ridiculing the people running in the rain, and now she had become one of them.

She got to her car and dug into her jeans pocket for her key. It slipped from her hand and fell underneath the car. Sighing in exasperation, she bent down to look for it, cursing under her breath as the rain fell against her back. Then suddenly, the rain stopped. Frowning, she looked around. No, the rain hadn't stopped, it had only stopped raining on her, but all around her, the rain fell quite heavily. Slowly, Kaoru grabbed her keys and straightened up, all too aware of the shadow which had fallen over her.

She looked up…and saw him.

He stood there with his long crimson hair which was tied back in a ponytail, and his violet eyes which seemed to be seeing right through here, and a cross-shaped scar on his right cheek. He stood there, holding his large black umbrella over her to provide her shelter.

'I…' she murmured, getting up to her feet. She smiled sheepishly. 'I was just getting my keys.'

The man didn't say anything; he just kept staring at her with those intense eyes of his.

'Um…thanks for the use of the umbrella,' she said awkwardly.

Again, he remained silent. Then he quietly bent down and gently grabbed her hand. Kaoru felt totally bewildered as he pressed the umbrella's handle into her palm. She gaped openly at him as he smiled, took a couple of steps backwards, then turned on his heels and walked away, his long black coat swishing behind him, and the rain pouring down on him.

Kaoru couldn't find her voice or she would've called him back.

_What was that all about?_

-

Kaoru stepped out of the elevator and hurried to her department. She pushed in through the doors and looked around for the Captain, and found him standing by the desk of some other agent. She rushed over towards him. 'You...paged?' she asked, slightly out of breath.

'Yes…we have a new case…follow me,' said the Captain.

Kaoru followed him into his office, and found that Sano had already gotten there before her. He was sitting on one of the leather sofas next to the desk, and Kaoru could tell from the uncomfortable posture on the sofa that he had his legs on the desk and had quickly brought them down when they came in. 'How'd your date go?' he asked, snickering.

'Rub it in, why don't you?' she hissed, throwing him a dirty look. 'Did you get Izumi out?'

'Yep,' he replied, puffing out his chest. His shoulders slumped a moment later and he smiled guiltily at her. 'But there was this moment where I was actually considering not to...you know, maybe I should leave him there and go have a shot at Megumi myself.'

Kaoru laughed. The Captain, however, didn't seem to notice that they were talking, and if he was, he was just ignoring them completely; Kaoru could tell he wasn't entirely pleased with them yet. She leaned forward towards Sano. 'Hey, what happened between you and the Captain?' she whispered.

Sano was about to open his mouth when the Captain spoke up. He was sitting at his desk and was checking something on his computer. 'Come over here,' he told them. 'I want you both to have a look at this guy here.'

They both leaned forward and studied the character displayed on the screen.

'Nice scar,' Sano commented after a moment.

A flicker of a smile passed over the Captain's lips. 'You're looking at the picture of Kenshin Himura, also known as Battousai the Manslayer,' he told them. 'He's also one of the most wanted criminals in the world.'

Kaoru just stared in shock at the face of the man whom she had met a few minutes ago…

**-**

**A/N (hopping up and down anxiously): so…did you like it? Huh? Did you? I'm being a pain in the neck, ain't I? I'll waste the last of my dignity and ask those who read to please review! It's not difficult, really… **

_- S. N. B._


	2. Can't Shoot

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…and I never will…(sigh)**

**WOW!! 34 reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I didn't expect to get that many reviews on my first chappie, and I was really happy to see the reviews I got! Anyway, I'm sorry but I can't give details and answers on any of the questions you asked me, that'll be giving off too much hints! But don't worry, all your questions will be answered in later chapters…**

**Ok, this is my second chapter, enjoy!!**

**CHAPTER 2: Can't Shoot**

Kaoru continued to stare at the photograph. She really couldn't believe that this guy was one of the most wanted men in the world; he just didn't look the part, in her opinion...and to top matters, she'd actually seen him! She saw him and she spoke to him. Battousai the Manslayer. Kenshin Himura! She swallowed hard. _How could it be? He can't be a murderer! He doesn't look like one!...God! He was right beside me! He…he offered me his umbrella!_ She was vaguely aware of the conversation going in the background.

'When you say Manslayer...' Sano was saying. He sounded really uneasy. 'How many people are we actually talking about?'

'The body count hadn't been made, I'm sorry, Sanosuke...but I could say it's well over a hundred,' the Captain answered. 'Kenshin Himura is a very clever character...very dexterous, very specific, always gets what he wants, never gets caught, a cold-blooded murderer, and has successfully assassinated six ministry officials while in Japan…when not killing people, he's a drug dealer and a bank robber.'

'Nice hobbies,' Sano said, nervously. He rubbed the back of his neck. 'So, what about him? Came and decided to have a little killing spree here in the States?'

The Captain shot him a stern look, and Sano lowered his gaze, looking a bit ashamed. 'No, I don't think he's here to kill anyone,' he said, matter-of-factly. 'He's come here to get his hands on some money. In fact, those five guys we caught today were sent from his side. That's how we came to know about him in the first place...they would tell us anything considering we use a more lenient punishment with them.'

'That's excellent!' Sano exclaimed. 'So, what did they tell you, other than the fact that they're from his troops?'

'Well, they told us they had been robbing the bank under his orders, and when we asked if there was going to be any other robberies in the next few days, they said they had been planning to take on another bank tomorrow at five, but considering we've got them now, I don't think there will be any tomorrow,' he said, sounding satisfied. 'We also were able to extract a very useful piece of information. We wanted them to tell us where Battousai's hideout was, but they didn't know, so they gave us the location of the place where they usually hide their loot, and where they usually discuss plans, so...'

'We're going to bust that place up, aren't we?' Sano said excitedly.

Captain Sagara couldn't help but smile. 'Yes, we are going to...bust that place up, as you kindly put it, and if we're lucky, we might find Himura there and we'd be hitting two birds with one stone,' he told them. He paused and looked around at Kaoru. 'Kaoru, you haven't said anything, what's wrong?'

Kaoru was still gazing intently at the picture. She swallowed again. 'I…I…' she stammered. She was still in a state of shock; not quite being able to believe that the guy who had helped her could be all what the Captain had claimed him to be. She tore her eyes away from the picture, and managed a short smile. 'Nothing, I'm fine. I was just...I mean, just…look at his face!'

'Huh? His face?' Sano said, confused. He looked back at the picture and studied it for a moment. He frowned. 'Okay...I'm looking at his face but I'm really not able to see what about it that's getting you so worked up.'

'I'm not getting worked up about it!' she protested. She waved a impatient hand at the picture. 'I mean, for God's sake, look _properly_ at him! He looks at peace with himself…so calm…how can he look like that knowing the things he'd done?'

'Don't be fooled by appearances, Kaoru…the outside sometimes reflects the opposite of the inside,' the Captain told her. 'And Himura's a very good example. You're right, you know, when you see him for the first time, you don't really think that he could be a murderer.'

Kaoru nodded, her eyes still fixed on the picture. _Boy! You can say that again! I didn't suspect him in the very least! Should I tell the Captain about him? But then…_Her attention was diverged when some one knocked at the door. Next, a pretty girl with brown hair and green eyes had stepped into the office. Kaoru shot a glance at Sano and saw that her friend's jaw had dropped; she knew he was going to go goggles about this girl. That was typical Sano.

'Sayo-kun...what took you so long?' the Captain scolded her gently.

The girl blushed faintly and lowered her gaze. '_Gomen nasai, Sagara Taisho,' _she said, with a slight bow to her head.

'It's alright, never mind that now,' the Captain replied, smiling. Kaoru thought that was rather unfair, because they never got off with an, "It's alright, never mind that now", when _they_ were late; all they got was a severe telling-off. Sano, on the other hand seemed too busy staring at Sayo to complain. He gestured at the two of them. 'Sayo-kun, I'd like you to meet two of my field agents; Kaoru Kamiya and Sagara Sanosuke.

The girl smiled politely at them and bowed again. '_Hajimemashite? Watashi wa Amakusa, Sayo,' _she said in fluent Japanese.

Sano stared, bewildered, at her. Japanese as he was, he grew up in the States and didn't know a single word of his mother tongue. He looked around at the Captain for help, and looked back nervously at her. 'I'm sorry...I...I didn't quite understand what you said,' he murmured.

The girl blinked. 'Oh, I'm sorry, I thought, since you are Japanese, you would...' she said and glanced at the Captain who shook his head. She smiled at Kaoru and Sano and bowed her head again. 'Forgive my, rudeness...my name's Sayo Amakusa. It's very nice to meet you.'

Sano, too, was bowing deeply. 'Sanosuke Sagara,' he said quickly. 'It's very nice to meet you, too!'

Kaoru had to stop herself from laughing out loud. Instead, she smiled at Sayo and gave her a tiny wave. 'Hello, Sayo,' she said.

The Captain put an arm around her shoulders. 'Sayo is an agent in the Japanese secret investigations, and she's come all the way from there to help us with the Himura case,' he told them. 'She knows a lot more about the man than I do, considering she's had a run-in with him before, and I'm sure she'll be a great help. In fact, she'll be coming with us when we go to the place where Himura keeps his loot, which is, dare I say, now.'

Kaoru blinked in surprise. 'Now?' she repeated. 'Why do we have to get this done so soon?'

The Captain gave her a patronizing smile. 'Kaoru, don't you think that Himura will be notified that five of his troops have been captured by the FBI?' he asked her, and Kaoru, realizing what he was getting at, blushed, embarrassed, and nodded. 'We have to go there quickly before he gets any chance to make any escape plans...and the sooner, the better. Unless, of course, you're not up to it, because then I could ask another agent to...'

'No, I'm up to it,' she interrupted him, feeling indignant that the Captain might question her abilities. Also, she wasn't about to let the chance to see Himura again slip from between her fingers; that man really intrigued her. She looked back at Himura's picture. _What is behind this guy?_

**-**

'This is it'

The four of them stood in front of the door of the old, big warehouse. Its green paint was pale was chipped, and it looked absolutely deserted; in fact, they wouldn't have thought to look there if they hadn't been told about it. The whole area was cold and damp from the rain, which had only stopped a few minutes ago...not to mention the fact that the area, itself, looked empty and deserted. The warehouse stood towering above them like an ugly, dirty mound.

'Not too classy, is it?' Sano said, sarcastically. 'So, shall we go in?'

The Captain nodded. 'Yes, but we shall also split to cover more ground more quickly; Kaoru and I will go together, and you two will go in the opposite direction,' he told them. 'One shot in the air means success, two shots mean trouble. Now, before you go in, I want you all to be extremely careful; Himura is not your everyday criminal; he will not hesitate to kill you if you prove to be a threat to him...so, if you see him, run away in the opposite direction and call for the others, have I made myself clear?' The others nodded. 'Good luck.'

He and Sano both pulled the doors open, and the four of them walked inside. They took a look around; the warehouse consisted of the ground floor, and there was an iron staircase which led up to the first floor, and it went deep inside. The Captain gestured for Sano and Sayo to take the ground floor, and they both nodded. Sano gave them the thumbs-up, before taking out his gun and walking further into the warehouse with Sayo. The Captain and Kaoru had turned and went for the staircase.

'Stay behind me,' Sano instructed her.

'Okay,' Sayo said, quietly.

As they walked deeper into the warehouse, they found themselves both taking out their flashlights to light up their way, considering the place was so dark they couldn't even see where they were placing their feet. They flashed their lights around and were able to see a few boxes scattered here and there, but nothing else. They soon got to the back of the warehouse, and Sano felt around for a door or something. He grunted in annoyance.

'This is weird…where the hell is everybody?' he muttered. No sooner had the words left his lips, a group of ten masked men appeared out of nowhere and surrounded them. He flattened himself against the wall and pulled Sayo back with him. 'The sneaky bastards. They waited until we got to a dead end so that they could corner us. Crap!'

'Does this suit you better, though?' Sayo asked, eyeing the men warily.

Sano grinned. 'You bet,' he said, feeling excited. 'Let's get 'em!'

They both attacked simultaneously. Sano had been taught well; he knew where to use each move, each punch, each kick; he could say he was one of the best when it came to martial arts. But, obviously, Sayo had been trained well, too. Sano watched in amazement as she moved stealthily between their enemies, kicking that and punching the other, without getting a single hit in return…she didn't even use her gun!

'Sano, why are standing there gawping like an idiot? Get a move on!' she snapped.

'Oh, yeah,' he murmured, blushing shaking his head.

'Behind you!' she cried.

Sano spun around just in time and caught the bat a man was planning to clobber him with. 'Oh, no you won't,' he hissed.

Sano swung the bat around, with the man still clinging to it, and smashed them both against the wall. The man dropped to the floor, unconscious. Then, Sano used the bat to club another guy heading for him. The bat hit him with a satisfying crack and he dropped in a heap to the floor. Before they were even done with the first batch, another group of men appeared….now there were nearly fourteen against two!

Sano glanced over at Sayo and was relieved to see that she was doing fine; none of the men got even close enough to touch her. She was _good_; he had to give her that. 'Hey, Sayo! Do you need assistance?' he asked as he slammed a man in the stomach with his elbow. 'Shall I fire two shots?'

Sayo kicked a man in the gutter using an awesome karate move. Then she straightened up and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. 'That's funny, I was about to ask you the same thing,' she said, smirking slightly. 'I thought _you_ needed help.'

Sano grinned. This girl was perfect.

**-**

The first floor consisted of many small rooms and one long corridor in between. They had been inspecting each room at gunpoint, and they had managed to find a bag of stolen money, but that was about it. No guards, and certainly no Himura. As they went further inside, they had to use their flashlights to see where they were going. Using flashlights would put them at a disadvantage with their enemies, but seeing as there were no enemies whatsoever, they thought it would be fine.

'I don't like this,' Kaoru mumbled. 'It's just too quiet.'

'Yeah, I see what you mean,' Captain Sagara agreed. 'Nobody's come to attack us yet.'

Kaoru gripped her gun tightly as she opened the door to one of the rooms. She flashed her light around the room and…nothing. She sighed and dropped her gun hand to her side. 'Captain, I'm worried about Sano,' she murmured.

'What from?' the Captain asked.

'This may sound a bit silly, but that girl Sayo, she doesn't seem strong enough…' Kaoru said, averting her eyes from him. 'I don't mean to be questioning your judgment or anything, but...I mean, what if they got attacked and she was completely useless. '

The Captain chuckled and squeezed her shoulder gently. 'Hey, you haven't heard two shots yet, have you? If that's not a good sign, I don't know what it is' he told her. She started to say something, but he cut her off. 'And it certainly doesn't mean that they're dead. Don't worry about Sano, Kaoru, he can take care of himself…and besides, who said Sayo-kun was weak? She's an excellent fighter…I trained her myself.'

Kaoru felt a lot more relaxed when she heard that...although, she didn't have time to indulge in her relaxation, because, at that moment, a group of men wearing black from head to toe attacked them. Kaoru switched form guard mode to fighting mode, happy that they were finally going to be having a bit of action. Just as she was about to throw her first punch in one of the men's face, the Captain shouted for her to stop.

'No, Kaoru!' he shouted, throwing four men off him at once. 'You take the door, I'll handle them!'

_Door? _Kaoru looked around and noticed the door at the end of the corridor. She looked back at the Captain, who was still fighting with the men. 'But, Captain!' she protested. 'You can't do this alone! You can't fight them all by yourself!'

'Just go!' he ordered, aiming a kick at one man. 'I'll be fine!'

'But…oh!' she mumbled, and strode towards the door, fuming, shoving one man out of her way as she did. Did the Captain think she was weak? She could handle any thug just fine, why did he insist on doing everything himself? She wanted to be of help…what was so big about going through that door, anyway? She aimed a strong kick at the door and it flung wide open. She stepped into what seemed like an office-a large, spacious office with only a desk, a chair and a cupboard. 'Whoever owned this place was a tad too cheap.'

As her eyes got adjusted to the darkness of the room, she noticed something else other than the owner's minimalist taste. She noticed the owner himself; standing there with his unblinking violet eyes fixed on her. Kaoru stood on her guard, watching him; this was not your everyday criminal, as the Captain had told them. This was a guy who set her thinking about him merely for the fact that he had given her his umbrella. This was a guy who looked at her in such a way that made her skin crawl and made her feel completely exposed. This was a guy who gave her the impression of being so peaceful when he was the exact opposite. No, this definitely was not a normal criminal.

'Thanks for the use of the umbrella,' she said airily, still watching him closely. He didn't say anything; he only smiled and nodded, with his eyes still upon her._ Why does he keep staring at me like that?_ 'I was wondering about what made you come out in the rain just to give me your umbrella when you know that you're wanted all over the country…wouldn't that get you caught?'

She expected him to say something then, but he didn't. She gripped her gun tightly and tried to keep it pointed steadily at him. 'What's the matter? Cat ate your tongue?' she said quietly. She was quite surprised when he turned on his heels and ran out through a door in the corner. 'Wait! Where are you going? Come back here!'

She tore after him. But on the inside, questions were colliding in her head; _this was Kenshin Himura? The professional assassin? Then, why did he run away from me when he could've easily shot me dead? _With a feeling that she was being led into a trap, she ran through the door into another room, only this one was totally empty. She spotted him running away through another door. She ran after him…to find herself standing on the balcony of the first floor. Kenshin was standing there, his back to the railing.

'Don't you move,' she hissed, pointing the gun at him.

_This is getting too easy. What? No guns? No attacks? What was wrong with this guy? Was he fooling around with me? _He just smiled softly at her…his smile was so peaceful. It was so composed and serene it sent a chill down her spine.

_But…how?_

Her gun hand shook. What should she do? Should she shoot him? But there he was, just standing there smiling at her. Why should she shoot him? He looks so sweet; he doesn't look like a criminal…but she wasn't given time to think…

'Kaoru! What are you doing? Shoot him!' she heard the Captain shout from somewhere behind her.

She was taken by surprise, and before she could stop herself, and despite her trembling, she pulled the trigger. But with incredible speed, Kenshin leaned backwards over the railing to avoid the bullet, and fell right over. 'NO!!' she cried…was it out of worry, out of anger…she didn't know…

She hurried to the railing and looked down. She saw him landing on his feet, and then running away down the aisle. She watched him until the darkness of the alleyway swallowed him up. She sighed, and immediately paused. What was that sigh for? Was that a sigh of relief? What was wrong with her? Why didn't she shoot him again? Follow him?...Anything?

What had happened to her?

'Kaoru!' The Captain stepped onto the balcony beside her, and clapped a hand on her shoulder. 'Kaoru, you let him escape! Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?' Kaoru shook her head miserably, suddenly wishing that she was badly injured, so that she'd escape the Captain's stern look. He bent down so that he was in level with her, and grabbed her by both shoulders. He spoke his next words very slowly. 'Kaoru, why didn't you shoot him?'

Kaoru looked away. She squatted down on the floor and hugged herself. 'I don't know, Captain! I just don't know!' she choked.

**-**

**Japanese words and their translations:**

**Gomen nasai:** I'm sorry. (polite)

**Taisho: **A general or lord.

**Hajimemashite? Watashi wa Amakusa, Sayo: **How do you do? My name is Amakusa, Sayo. (used for first time meetings only)

**-**

**A/N: So, how did you like this chapter? Was it good enough? I really hope it was…yeah, yeah, I know you have more questions about the story now, but as I told you before, telling you anything will be giving you hints, and I don't want that…I can just tell you it's gonna be a really eventful fic…anyway, now that you've finished reading, could you be a dear and send me a review?...please?**

_**- **S. N. B. _


	3. By the Angel Fountain

**D/C: I don't own RK.**

**Hey! I'm back! Thank you so much for the reviews! I went back over the second chappie and felt it wasn't as action-packed as I wanted it to be, so I've tried to make this chappie better, I really hope u like it. Oh, and yes, there will be romance in this story, you just wait, ok?**

**ENJOY!!**

**CHAPTER 3: By the Angel Fountain**

Kaoru didn't like this. She didn't like the looks being addressed to her. Even Sayo, who had just arrived three hours ago, was looking at her with a mixture of contempt and pity. They were back in the Agency, and the four of them were sitting in the Captain's office. She bowed her head and clasped her hands together in her lap. 'Listen, I'm sorry,' she muttered. 'I don't know what got into me, but I just couldn't bring myself to shoot…it's like I was being robbed from my will or something.'

Sano sighed in exasperation. 'Come on, Kaoru…the guy's an assassin, not some hypnotizer,' he pointed out.

Kaoru refused to give in that easily. She knew that Sano was right, but yet, she couldn't bring herself to admit that she was wrong. 'Well, he uses a sword…for all we know, he could be a hypnotizer or a telepathist or something,' she shot back.

'Do you fancy this guy, Kaoru?' Captain Sagara suddenly asked.

This question took her by surprise; she hadn't really seen this coming from the Captain. 'What? I don't know…I mean, of course not…I mean…' she stuttered. She paused to collect her breath. She really didn't know how she felt about Kenshin Himura; of course she didn't _fancy _him! Fancy was just too strong a word. Maybe attracted, yes, but definitely not fancy. 'What I mean to say, is that it would be quite interesting to study Kenshin Himura.' She felt her cheeks go warm and looked down again.

Sano stared at her in disbelief. 'Kaoru! Himura is a criminal! Criminals are criminals, no matter how they look!! You can't let your feelings get into the way of your work; I thought you knew that better!!' he cried. 'What the hell's wrong with you?'

She glared at him. 'Nothing's wrong with me, Sano! I know perfectly well what a criminal is, and I'm certainly not about to let one affect my performance on the field! I'm not that type of person!' she snapped. 'So, will you, please, get off my back?'

'Yeah, I will get off your back! I'll get off you're back when I see you shooting Himura dead!' he shot back.

Kaoru was getting irritated; why was Sano getting so worked out about this? It was her who couldn't shoot Himura, not him! And now he was making it seem like it was his business too? 'I just failed to shoot this one guy, and you already think I'm losing it or something?' she said angrily.

'Kaoru-kun, I don't believe that Sanosuke-kun is implying that you're going crazy; his intentions are obviously good,' Sayo chimed in, and Sano smiled gratefully at her. 'He's only saying what he's saying so that he'd encourage you to...'

'Thank you, but I don't need you to analyze what Sano just said,' Kaoru cut her off, annoyed that Sayo was butting into their conversation, and Sayo blinked in surprise. 'I can understand perfectly well what his words meant.'

'I'm sorry, I only wanted to help...' Sayo started.

'Well, I don't need your help!' Kaoru snapped.

'Hey, don't talk to her like that!! Sayo didn't do anything to you, alright?' Sano said angrily.

'That's enough out of you!' the Captain said sharply, and they both fell silent. 'Good…now, Kaoru, if you'll come with me, I'll give you all the files related to Kenshin Himura, and you could take them home for studying.'

'Okay,' she murmured, still glaring at Sano.

She followed Captain Sagara out of the office. He walked up to the desk of one agent and picked up a black folder. He held it up before her. 'This contains all the information you need to know about Himura,' he told her. 'Or at least, the information we managed to get about him…but I assure you that they'll be of a great help in your study.'

'Yes. Thank you, Captain,' she said, reaching out to take the folder.

But he didn't hand it over to her. Instead, he gave her a stern look. 'Now, listen here, Kaoru, I need you to do a good job, okay? I mean it,' he said seriously. 'I could've simply given this assignment to anybody else, but I gave it to you; so you have to be up to it.'

She frowned. 'If you don't think that I can be up to it, then why are you giving it to me?' she asked.

The Captain didn't flinch. 'Because I want you to overcome your weaknesses,' he answered.

'Weaknesses?' she repeated. feeling affronted. 'What weaknesses? I don't have any…'

'Oh? You don't? What about what happened today at the hideout, then? What do you call your inability to shoot Himura today?' he asked, raising his eyebrows at her. 'Isn't that a weakness? What do you think?'

'I…um…Himura was too fast for me,' she muttered, avoiding his gaze. 'I couldn't get a clear shot.'

The Captain didn't say anything. He just sighed. 'Okay, Kaoru, whatever you say. Here's the folder,' he said, handing it over to her, and she held it so carefully, you'd think it was made of glass. 'Be careful not to lose it, alright?'

'Yeah, okay,' she murmured. _What does he think I am? A kid? Of course I won't lose it! _'Thank you, Captain.'

-

Kaoru unlocked the door to her apartment, and stepped inside. She was quite surprised when she saw that the whole place was lit up; she was pretty sure she had turned off the lights before leaving to work in the morning. Feeling rather uneasy, she quietly shut the door, placed the folder contain Himura's profile on the shoes' cabinet, and dug her gun out of her pocket. Holding the gun at arm's length, she made her way through her apartment. She heard some noise in her spare bedroom, and took slow, cautious steps towards it. Just as she stepped into the doorway, a girl came stepping out of the room. The girl shrieked as she saw the gun in Kaoru's hand, and Kaoru jumped back in alarm, not putting down her gun.

'W-who are you?' Kaoru demanded.

'Me? Who are _you_?' the girl snapped, pressing herself against the wall.

Kaoru blinked; that was the first time she had heard a trespasser ask that question, but she quickly regained her composure. 'I live here; this is my apartment…what are you doing in my apartment?' she said sharply.

'Your…?' the girl said, confused. Then she let out a sigh of relief and smiled at her. 'You must be Kaoru Kamiya! Hi! I'm your new roommate!'

It was Kaoru's turn to be confused. 'My what?' she demanded.

The girl frowned. 'Didn't Mr. Reynolds tell you I'll be coming?' she asked.

'He…oh, right!' Kaoru said, and put down the gun. 'I'm sorry, I remember now…I just have a lot on mind, rough day at work.' The girl didn't say anything; she just kept staring at her. Kaoru could only imagine what a shock it must've been for her to be greeted at gunpoint, and she smiled at her. 'Listen, I'm sorry I came up on you with a gun; I just got panicky when I found the whole place lit up and everything.'

The girl seemed to relax a bit, and she managed a small smile. 'Okay,' she murmured.

'What's your name?' Kaoru asked gently.

'Misao Makimachi,' the girl said quickly.

'You don't have to act like this, you know,' Kaoru said, laughing.

'Like what?' the girl said impatiently.

'Like I'm gonna bite you or something if you don't answer me or anything…' Kaoru said, and tucked her gun into her pocket again. She held out her hands to show that she had no more weapons in her hands. 'And I keep this gun for criminals, don't worry.'

'Criminals? Are you a cop or something?' Misao asked curiously.

'Yeah, you can say so,' Kaoru murmured. She wasn't about to go telling her new roomie that she was an FBI agent. First of all, it would get her packing in an instance, and second of all, it was against the rules. 'And what do you do?'

'Me?' Misao said. 'Uh…I'm a university student.'

'Really?' Kaoru said, frowning slightly. With her babyish face and her big green eyes and the long ponytail, Misao looked nothing more than a high school student...let alone a university student. 'Well, which field are you in?'

'I'm taking electrical engineering,' Misao replied.

'Oh? Well, that's really good,' Kaoru said. Misao didn't pose any question, and Kaoru, unsure of what she should be saying next, looked past the girl's shoulder into the room. 'Are you done unpacking yet?'

'Um…yeah, I just have one box left to be unloaded,' she answered.

Kaoru beamed at her. 'Want me to help you?' she offered.

'No, no! I couldn't ask you to do that; it'll only trouble you; trust me, I've got loads of junk...and you look really tired,' Misao said quickly. 'Besides, you probably have something better to do than help me unpack, right?'

'Right,' Kaoru agreed, remembering her assignment. She smiled at the girl, nevertheless, and waved a careless hand. 'But c'mon, we need to get to know each other…I like to trust the people I'm acquainted with.'

Misao's face fell. 'You don't trust me?' she asked.

'No! No, it's not that!' Kaoru cried. She sighed and massaged her temples. 'It's just the nature of my job, I really don't get to meet that many trustworthy people…I've grown to become paranoid, I guess.'

'Oh, well, in that case…' Misao murmured.

'C'mon, now, let's have a look inside,' Kaoru said, walking into the room and pulling Misao behind her. She looked around the room, which was filled with carton boxes and bags and all sorts of stuff. 'Wow! This room's been empty for ages! I forgot how it's like to be occupied!'

'Sorry it's so messy,' Misao murmured, blushing.

Kaoru grinned at her. 'I've seen worse cases, don't worry about it,' she told her. 'Ok, so where do I start?'

'I've really finished,' Misao told her again, and gestured around at the room. 'There's nothing left to do other than tidying it up a bit, and unloading the remaining box, which only holds university books...and I'm really not in a hurry to do that.'

'Uh huh,' Kaoru said. She took the hint; the girl wanted her out of the room. But a small photo on the bureau caught her attention. She walked to the bureau and studied the face of the black haired, blue eyed man which looked up at her from the photo. 'Hey! He's cute! Now, I know all the hot actors and singers like the back of my hand, but I've never seen him before. Who is he? Is he your boyfriend?'

'Um…his name is Aoshi Shinomori,' Misao told her, and blushed slightly. 'And yeah, I'd like to think of him as my boyfriend.'

Kaoru nodded. 'Listen, are you sure you don't need…?' she asked.

'Yes, I'm sure,' Misao interrupted her, and Kaoru's eyes widened a bit. 'I'm sorry; I just get nervous around new people.'

'Well, then, I'll be in the kitchen having dinner,' Kaoru told her. 'Call me if you need anything.'

And with that, she left the room and went to the kitchen. As she opened as the fridge and looked inside for something to eat, she felt pretty sure that Misao was hiding something. She wasn't suffering from a case of nervousness; people act polite when they are nervous, and this girl was practically asking her to get out of the room. Yes, she was definitely hiding something…which she'll find later. Right now she was too tired to even start on her assignment.

She finally decided on the chocolate fudge she had bought the other day. She pulled a spoon out of the drawer, and sat down at the table to enjoy her snack; if there was anything that could get her relaxed and in a good mood, it was chocolate. She turned on the TV and started spooning out the fudge and sucking at the spoon. She quickly finished off the rest of her fudge, much to her disappointment, threw the spoon into the already over-loaded sink, and the fudge container into the waste basket. Then she went and grabbed the folder she had left on the shoes cabinet before locking herself up in her room.

'Time to do some serious character study,' she said, flexing her fingers.

Propping herself against the cushions of her bed, Kaoru started going through the files, chewing the end of her pen thoughtfully as she did.

"Kenshin Himura, 29 years old, crimson hair, violet eyes, and a crossed-shape scar on his left cheek.

Himura was a well-known criminal in Japan, his country of origin. Although he had started off as a pickpocket and thief, he returned after ten years of disappearance as a professional murder. Himura wasn't like any other criminal; he took up after the Japanese of Old and learned the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, a very complex form of swords fighting which depends on the speed of its user and his ability of using the sword.

Himura took the name Battousai, due to his mastering of the Battou-Jutsu technique, and he became a legend feared by everybody, young and old alike. Nobody knew when he would strike or who his next target would be, and most of the reasons behind all those murders he committed remain unknown, although most people insist that it was just blood lust and that he merely enjoyed killing people.

Another mystery is the cross-shaped scar; no one knew how he got it, and Himura never let any soul on this secret. Some say it was a result of a brutal fight, while others say that Himura, himself, gave himself the scar…"

Kaoru snorted as she read the last part; why would anybody want to give himself a scar? Other than the pain it might cause, it will make one easily distinguishable, and a criminal was the last person to want himself to be distinguishable.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Kaoru was about to get up and answer it, but she dismissed the idea from her mind. She was too tired to even get up from bed. _Let Misao answer it. _Sure enough, a few moments later, the ringing stopped and she could hear Misao's voice as she started talking on the phone. She relaxed back against her cushions, and started to read again when then came a knock on her door.

'Kaoru? It's for you,' Misao called through the door. Sighing irritably, Kaoru got up and went to the door. She opened it, and Misao stood there, holding the cordless phone for her. She smiled apologetically at her. 'He didn't say who he is.'

'Thanks,' Kaoru said, reckoning it was either Sano or the Captain or Saitou; she took the phone from Misao, and closed the door. 'Hello? Kaoru Kamiya speaking.'

Nobody answered her, but she could hear the sound of light breathing on the other end.

'Hello?' she said impatiently. Again no answer. 'Sano, if this is another of your dumb tricks, I'm never forgiving you! This is the fourth time this week!!'

'Hello,' the person on the other end finally replied.

Kaoru blinked when she realized this wasn't Sano's voice. 'Oh! I'm…I'm sorry! I thought you were some one else!' she stuttered. She took in a deep breath. 'I'm sorry. But who's this? I don't believe I know you.'

'Yes, you do,' the person; obviously a man, told her.

'Huh?' Kaoru said, confused.

'I'm Kenshin Himura,' the man told her. 'Nice to finally talk to you.'

Kaoru gasped. She gripped the phone tightly, her breath coming out ragged and slow. _It's Kenshin Himura. Nice to finally talk to you. _It was a reflect action, she didn't mean it to happen, but she hit the TALK button and ended the phone call. Then she threw the telephone to the bed as if it had stung her hand, and backed up against the wall. She felt beads of cold sweat forming at her forehead as she stared at it. She gave a small yelp of fear as the phone started ringing again.

Kaoru swallowed hard. Should she answer it? But what if it was Himura, calling back again? Wait. Kenshin couldn't harm her on the phone, it was impossible. She might as well talk to him and see what he wants. Slowly, hesitantly, she reached out for the phone. She hit the TALK button with her thumb and pressed the phone to her ear.

'What do you want?' she demanded, in a tone in which she hoped didn't sound too scared.

'Kaoru? Is that you?'

Kaoru blinked for a couple of moments. 'Oh! Saitou! Oh, I'm so glad it's you!' she said, feeling relieved.

'Okay…' Saitou said slowly. 'Is there something I should know about?'

Kaoru considered telling him about the call she had received from Kenshin, but…that was over, why should she trouble him with it? 'No, everything's fine,' she lied. 'I'm just happy to hear your voice.'

'Yeah, okay,' he said, sounding rather suspicious. 'Listen, I was just calling to cancel our breakfast date tomorrow.'

Kaoru plopped back against her pillows. 'Oh?' she said, feeling a bit disappointed.

'Something came up at work, y'know how it is,' he explained, sounding rather sheepish, and she made a noise which distinguishly sounded like a yes. 'I promise I'll make it up to you some other time, Kaoru, okay? You're not upset…are you?'

'What? No, I'm not upset! Actually…I'm pretty busy myself, it's a good thing that you cancelled,' she said.

'Oh...okay, that's good, I suppose,' he said. 'Well, I'll talk to you tomorrow, then.'

'Yeah, alright,' she agreed. 'Bye.'

And with that she disconnected the call. She was about to set the phone on her bureau when it started ringing again. Without pausing to think, she hit the TALK button and held the cordless receiver to her ear. 'Hello?' she said.

'Are you scared?' Kenshin asked softly.

Kaoru's breath caught in her throat. She could recognize that voice. It was him again; Kenshin. She pulled herself together and tried to speak calmly. 'Of course not,' she lied. 'Why the hell would I be scared of a jerk like you?'

'Well, I suppose that's good to hear, because I don't want you to be,' he said, sounding amused. 'I'm not going to hurt you, Kaoru-dono.'

'Yeah, right, like I could believe that,' she scoffed. 'What the hell do you want?'

'I just want to talk,' he said calmly.

She got up to her feet and started pacing around the room. She couldn't believe she was actually having a phone conversation with one of the most wanted criminals in the world; the whole thing was just weirding her out. 'Well, if you want to talk about turning yourself in, I'll gladly listen...even if you continue talking the whole night,' she said, irritably. 'But aside from that, I don't think there's anything else to talk about.'

Kenshin chuckled. 'You're funny, you know that?' he said. 'I knew you were special once I set eyes on you today in the rain.'

Kaoru shivered slightly as she remembered the incident. 'Why…why did you give me your umbrella back then?' she said hoarsely.

'Told you, because you seemed special,' he replied, and Kaoru found herself rolling her eyes despite herself. 'And of course, because you were getting soaked through and you were in obvious need of an umbrella, so thought I'll take up the role of the good guy and give you one.'

Kaoru tried to compose herself. 'You…' she hissed.

'Will you meet me at the central park at midnight?' he interrupted her.

Kaoru stared, shocked, at the phone. 'What?' she cried.

'I'd like to talk to you in person…I've never quite favored phone conversations,' he said simply. 'And I would be really glad if you would do me the honors of meeting me at the park tonight so we could have a proper, civil conversation.'

'You must be kidding me!' she said, laughing. 'For all I know, you could be leading me right into my death!'

'But I told you that I'm not gonna hurt you,' he pointed out.

'And you want me to take your word for that?' she snapped. 'You, of all people? Kenshin Himura, the professional assassin?'

She was surprised to hear the note of hurt in his voice in his next words; hurt wasn't an emotion she thought an assassin was capable of portraying. 'Well, if you don't want to, then fine…' he said softly. 'But I just want to talk to you…'

'I…' she stammered.

'If you change your mind, I'll be waiting near the angel fountain,' he told her.

'Wait!' she cried, but he had already hung up. She felt as if she had been frozen to the spot, the phone still pressed against her ear as she listened to the rhythmic beat of the disconnected call. _What the hell should I do?_

-

Kaoru pulled in front of the park's gate. She sat there in the driver's seat, gripping the stirring wheel so tightly he knuckles turned white.

_Why did I ever come here? Why?_

She didn't know why she had come to the park. She was pretty determined not to show up, her mind was set on not coming…but yet, here she was, sitting in her car in front of the gate…going to meet him…

Kaoru knew she should've told the Captain or Sanosuke about this, but she also knew that if she did, they'll come and capture him, and she'll never know what he really intended to tell her tonight. She felt in the inner pocket of her jacket and sighed in relief when she found her gun lying there. _Might as well be careful…_

She had also left a note back in her room in case something happened to her, or in case Kenshin deceived her…you can never be too sure round a criminal. Finally, she released her grip on the stirring wheel, and was about to climb out of the car when she noticed the black umbrella on the seat beside her. Not knowing why, she grabbed it and stepped out of the car. She stood in front of the big iron gate, took a deep breath, and pushed at the gate. The creaking noise of its hinges was far too loud, or maybe it was because the whole place was just too silent.

She opened the gate wide enough for her to slip through, and she stepped inside. Strangely, she felt like she was breaking into some private property…but this park was public, so she couldn't be possibly doing anything wrong…so why was she feeling so guilty?

It was really chilly, so Kaoru wrapped her arms around herself and walked deeper into the empty park. Somehow, the park which sounded so bright and cheerful to her by day, seemed so creepy and gloomy by night. She slowly made her way to the fountain which she knew all too well, considering the number of times she had spent an evening there with Saitou. She felt more apprehensive as she approached the angel fountain. The angel statue was there, water pouring out of its mouth and landing at a graceful ark in the water below.

But there was no sign what-so-ever of Kenshin.

_This is a trap…I know it's a trap…oh! What have I gotten myself into?_

She stepped up beside the fountain and looked around for any movement. There was none. She started to sigh in relief, when she heard a rustle of leaves behind her. She spun around, pulling her gun out of her jacket in one swift movement. She faltered a bit when she saw nobody, and her hand shook terribly.

'What the…?' she whispered.

'Kaoru-dono...well, if it isn't a surprise.'

Kaoru jumped, and swirled around, breathing rapidly. She only managed to keep her gun steady…and there he was…Kaoru choked down a gasp as she stared at Kenshin, the gun shaking in her hand. _It's him…he's here…the world's most dangerous assassin is right here in front of me...and what makes it worse is that I came to him with my own two feet. Stupid! Stupid!_

'I thought you weren't going to show up?' he said questioningly.

'I…I just came to return your umbrella,' she said quickly, and held the umbrella up for him to see.

'But I gave it to you,' he told her. 'It's yours to keep.'

'But I don't want it, I have many umbrellas at my place, thank you very much,' she snapped.

She tossed the umbrella to his feet, but, to her annoyance, he made no move to pick it up. 'C'mon, now, there's no need for violence,' he said softly. He smiled at her and gestured at her gun. 'I told you I won't hurt you…why don't you put your gun down? I promise you, I come in peace.'

Kaoru hesitated, and then she started lowering her gun, but that was before she noticed that he had a hand hidden behind his black coat, and she raised the gun again. 'Put your hands where I can see them,' she ordered, pointing the gun at him.

'Whatever you say,' he agreed, and pulled out his hand from beneath the coat.

Kaoru stared in disbelief at what she saw in his hand. 'Is that a kitten?' she demanded.

Kenshin held the tiny black kitten between his arms and scratched it behind its ears. He looked up at Kaoru and smiled at her. 'Isn't it cute?' he asked. 'I…found it here while I was waiting for you…he's hurt, though.'

'Oh?' was all she could say.

'Yeah, he's got this big scratch on his back leg,' he explained, and held out a bandaged leg. 'I've fixed him though, he ought to be alright.'

'Good,' she said, smiling.

Kenshin scratched the kitten again, causing it to purr, and looked up at her. 'Aren't you going to put that away then?' he asked, indicating the gun.

Kaoru had forgotten that she was still holding her gun, and she tightened her grip on it. 'Why the hell should I?' she snapped. 'For all I know, you might shoot me dead the second I put it away. It's not like you're known for your honesty, y'know.'

'Maybe you think that this whole thing is an act, perhaps?' he asked, and when she gave him a blank look, he gestured at the kitten. 'The cat...maybe you think that it doesn't have an injury in the first place, and that's why you feel like you can't trust me?'

Kaoru mouthed soundlessly for a moment. She really didn't know what to think. She found herself looking at him with utter confusion. _Why would a bad guy like him bother with an injured kitten in the first place? It's really weird. _'N-no...I don't think it's an act,' she finally answered. 'I believe the cat's really injured.'

'Maybe you'd do better to check?' he suggested.

Kaoru stared at him. 'Are you kidding me? I'm not going to check out the cat's wounds! That's really sick!!' she snapped. 'That's only something someone like you would do!! Checking out how deep the wounds they've gone and inflicted!'

'And why would I do that?' he asked, frowning at her.

'I dunno, that's what sick, twisted people like you usually do,' she replied. 'Maybe you'd like to see how deep you cut the person, so that you can improve your attacks the next time you want to kill someone!'

Kenshin looked hurt at her last remark. 'So you think I'm sick and twisted, huh?' he said quietly.

'After going through your eventful life facts, I do,' she replied.

'Facts aren't always accurate; they shouldn't be believed all the time,' he told her, reproachfully.

'If I mustn't believe facts, then what should I believe?' she asked, staring incredulously at him.

'I don't know about that, really, but I think that one should let his mind be the better judge of character,' he told her.

Kaoru raised an eyebrow at him. 'Wow! I didn't know you were so deep,' she said sarcastically. 'They forgot to mention that in your bio.'

Kenshin just smiled this time. 'Appearances can be deceiving, Kaoru-dono,' he said.

_There was that stupid phrase again! _But she felt a slight tingle when he called her by "Kaoru-dono". It sounded so serene and sweet coming from his mouth. She shook those thoughts quickly out of her mind. She reminded herself that this was a criminal, not a normal civilian. 'You know, I could cuff you right now and take you back to the headquarters with me,' she pointed out. 'Nothing would stop me.'

He smiled again. 'I know,' he admitted.

'So, why'd you come here if you knew that?' she demanded. Kenshin didn't say anything then, he just walked towards her. Kaoru felt alarmed and involuntarily took a step backwards. 'What do you want? Stay back or I'll shoot you!'

'Put the gun down, you'll wake up the whole neighborhood if you shoot,' he said gently. 'You wouldn't want that, would you?'

'Stay away from me,' she said, taking another couple of steps backward.

But with a flurry of a movement, Kenshin was standing right in front of her. He stood so close she could smell the faint smell of musk on him. He pried the gun gently out of her hand and threw it to the ground. Kaoru opened her mouth to scream, but he touched a finger to her lips and whispered, "Ssshhhh". Then, to her immense surprise, he took both her hands and handed her the small kitten.

'What…?' she started.

'You can't turn down a gift, Kaoru-dono,' he said softly. 'It's not polite.'

Kaoru couldn't react. A gift? He, of all people, should know that there was no room for gifts between the FBI and criminals! Then he bent down and kissed her forehead lightly. Kaoru closed her eyes and shuddered at the touch of his lips. But when the touch was gone, and she opened her eyes, Kenshin was also gone…

Kaoru dropped the kitten to the ground and looked around frantically. There wasn't a single sign of Kenshin in the silent park…only the umbrella which he had once again left behind. _How could he have disappeared so suddenly?_

'Meow'. The kitten's voice interrupted the silence.

Kaoru sighed in exasperation and looked down at the cat. 'What am I to do with a cat…an _injured _cat like you?' she groaned.

The cat just blinked her big green eyes up at Kaoru.

'Meow?'

**-**

**A/N: Okay, so how did this chapter grab you? Pretty nice, huh? I'm proud of it, it's my longest chapter yet!! Well, if you liked it, would you please review?**

**-**_S. N. B. _


	4. Unfinished Kiss

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.**

**Hey, folks! Me again! Thanks for the reviews you sent on the last chapter; I was really touched! I really didn't expect to get that many; seriously, I thought I overdid it in the last one! Anyway, this is the forth chapter, I hope it's good enough!**

**Enjoy!**

**CHAPTER 4: Unfinished Kiss**

Kaoru pulled the bed sheets up to her face and curled herself up in a small ball beneath them. Her alarm bell started ringing shrilly, and Kaoru buried her face under the pillow, but the soft feather case wouldn't block out the horrible noise. Groaning loudly, she pushed her sheets roughly away from her and reached out to turn off the alarm, only to hear angry hissing from between the roughed-up sheets.

Her hand paused just over the alarm button as she stared at her sheets. And with the alarm forgotten, she reached out for the sheets and pulled them apart, and screamed as a little black thing lunged at her.

'Kaoru!!' came an agitated voice from outside her room, and Misao opened the door. 'Please turn that alarm off! And why did you scream like that?'

Kaoru looked up through her messed up hair at Misao, while the little black kitten dabbed at her face with her tiny paws. She still hadn't adjusted to the fact that she was sharing the apartment with someone. 'Sorry, I'll...I'll turn it off...' she mumbled, grabbing the alarm clock and pressing the button.

'Aw! That's such a cute little kitty! Where'd you get it from?' Misao squealed.

'Oh…' Kaoru murmured. She looked down at the cat, straining to remember where she got it from, and then it hit her…of course, how could she forget? Slowly, and somewhat distastefully, she

pushed the kitten away from her. 'Oh, it's actually my cat, I went and got it from the vet last night…see, it wasn't feeling very well lately,' she lied.

She couldn't tell her about Kenshin, no way! She could just imagine the situation. '_Oh, yes, yesterday I met up with this assassin and he gave me this kitten as a gift…_' Yep. Misao would really accept that.

'But I didn't see any kitty stuff around the apartment,' Misao said, frowning. She held her forefinger against her bottom lip. 'I mean, where's the cat food? And the basket where it sleeps? Or the sand box? Or its toys? Or...'

'Okay! I got your point!' Kaoru cut her off. She sighed and massaged her temples. 'Um…I just got the kitten two days ago, and I had left it at the vet for a complete health check-up…I still hadn't got anything for it; so that's why you wouldn't have found and kitty stuff in the apartment.'

'Uh-huh,' Misao murmured, sounding a bit suspicious. She sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled the kitten towards her. Surprisingly, the kitten came willingly, and didn't protest at all. Misao started scratching it behind its ears. The kitten purred contentedly. 'You like that, don't you?'

'It seems like it really likes you,' Kaoru remarked.

'Yeah, well…I've always had my way with animals,' Misao said, her cheeks tinged with pink. She looked adoringly at the kitten. 'What's its name?'

'Name?' Kaoru said blankly.

'Yeah, name…what's it called?' Misao said, as she pulled it into her lap. 'It does have a name, right?'

'Uh…yeah,' Kaoru murmured, quickly racking her mind for a suitable name. 'It's Kenny. Yeah, his name is Kenny. Kenny the cat.'

'Kenny?' Misao repeated. Her eyes became wide. 'Oh, that's such a cute name!!'

Kaoru, though, didn't think it was cute. In fact, she was mentally kicking herself for giving the cat that name. She looked down at it with obvious resentment. _Why did I ever name it as Kenny? That's a Kenshin-nickname for God's sake!_

-

When Kaoru stepped into the office, the first thing she saw, or rather, heard, was the sound of laughter. For a fleeting moment, she thought that some one was laughing at her, but when she looked around, she saw Sanosuke and that new girl, Sayo sitting together, and they were laughing and chatting animatedly. She saw Sano looking in her direction, but he didn't acknowledge it, or in other words, he pretended that he hadn't seen her, because he just turned back to Sayo and resumed talking to her, without so much as a smile or wave in Kaoru's direction.

Feeling the anger build up inside her, Kaoru stormed towards her desk and slumped down on her swiveling chair, crossing her arms against her chest. _Fine! If he's still angry at me because of what happened yesterday, then let it be! I don't even care!!_

But that was a downright lie; she did care, she cared a lot. She and Sano had been best friends ever since junior high school. The spent most of their time together and graduated together. She had always shared her thoughts and troubles with him. Whenever she faced a problem, she used t come up to him for help, and he would offer it. But now, when she needed help in the most, he wasn't there to give it to her, he didn't even, obviously, want to give it to her…and that hurt her a lot.

'Oh, Kaoru, you're here…good, I wanted to talk to you.'

Kaoru looked around and saw the Captain. He was sitting at a desk, browsing through the files of one computer; he always did that, leaving his office and going around, browsing through the other agents' computers and files. She knew that was his method of keeping tabs on everyone in the office. 'Good morning, Captain,' she murmured.

'What? Oh, hello, have a seat,' he replied, sounding distracted, as he checked the contents of one folder with a disgruntled expression. She sat down, and he managed a brief smile at her. 'I just wanted to ask if you've checked the contents of that folder I gave you yet?'

'Uh…yeah, I did,' she said, avoiding eye-contact wit him. The Captain had this uncanny way of finding out when people were hiding things from him, and she couldn't possibly have him now about her encounter with Kenshin Himura. 'Didn't read much, though, but the guy's pretty interesting.'

'Yeah, I knew you'd say that,' he said, smiling.

Kaoru's eyes widened when she realized how the Captain might've translated her words in his head. Her cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson. 'No, Captain! I didn't mean what you think I did!!' she stuttered. 'I just meant...

The Captain chuckled. 'I know what you meant, Kaoru, so please calm down,' he told her, and she relaxed back into her chair. 'Don't worry, I was really fascinated by Himura when I read about him, too; you just can't help it.'

'Oh, okay, that's good...I suppose,' she murmured. Another burst of laughter came from Sano and Sayo's direction, and Kaoru felt her throat constrict a bit. 'Captain...um...well, did Sano say anything to you about me?'

'You're worried that he might be still angry with you, right?' he asked her gently, and she nodded. 'Don't worry, then. Sano doesn't understand about Himura, he hasn't met him before like you and I did; he'll come back to his senses later on. But if you really want to resolve the situation quickly, then you might like to go and knock some sense into him, yourself. Be my guest.'

Kaoru couldn't help the small laugh which left her mouth. 'Yeah, I guess I could do that,' she agreed. She paused as she recalled the Captain's other words, and her eyes widened in surprise. 'Wait! You've met him before? When did that happen?'

The Captain smiled...although, Kaoru noticed, that this was a rather pained smile. 'That was a long time ago, Kaoru, it's no use brooding over the past,' he said softly. She opened her mouth to protest, but he held up a hand to silence her. 'Not now, Kaoru; the past brings me back painful memories which I want to forget…and besides, I really think we should concentrate more on the present…maybe I'll tell you someday, but not now, okay?'

Kaoru nodded, but she wondered what painful memories the Captain could be hiding beneath his calm stature…

'You might think that this character study is useless, but it's not,' he continued. 'One is always better off knowing about his enemy's past…and it would help him understand his enemy more, and try to be immune to his taunts and charms…and I suppose that's what you want, right?'

Kaoru felt her cheeks go a bit warm, and looked down to the floor. 'Yeah, I do,' she murmured.

'Good,' he said, reaching out and squeezing her shoulder. He got up to his feet. 'Now if you'll excuse me, Kaoru, I need to take care of some stuff, and I think that you have some stuff you'd like to clear out, don't you?'

She followed his gaze and saw that he was looking at Sano. He winked at her and she smiled. 'Yes, you're right...thank you, Captain,' she said, nodding. The Captain gave her a small wave of his hand and left. Kaoru took in a deep breath and got up to her feet. 'Right. Sano, here I come.'

With what she hoped were smooth, confident steps, she made her way towards the two. She stopped right next to them, but Sano still wouldn't look at her. Sayo, on the other hand, saw her and smiled nervously at her. '_Konnichiwa_, Kaoru-kun!' she exclaimed, and tugged at Sano's arm to draw his attention.

'Hello, Sayo, how are you?' she said, smiling at her.

'_Daijoubou!! _I mean...I'm fine!' she replied. Kaoru could clearly make out that this girl was still nervous of her. 'And you, Kaoru-kun, how are you?'

'Good, I'm good,' she replied. She noticed that Sano was still giving her his back, and decided that she'd do better to make the first move. 'Um...Sayo, about yesterday. I realize I had been quite rude to you, and I really had no right to do that. So..._gomen-nasai._'

Sayo blinked, and next to her, Sano had shifted slightly in his seat. 'Oh,' she murmured, and then she smiled. 'Oh...that's fine, really. I wasn't thinking about that, but...thank you so much. You're very thoughtful, Kaoru-kun.'

She smiled and nodded. After a moment's hesitation, she reached out and determinedly tapped Sano's shoulder. 'Sano, can I have a word with you, please?' she asked. Sano didn't say anything; he just got up from his seat and walked away to a corner, and she trudged after him. They stood facing each other in the corner. 'Hey.'

'Hey,' he murmured, rubbing the back of his head. 'What you said to Sayo back there...it was very nice, thanks.'

Kaoru shrugged. She folded her arms against her chest. 'What about you and me, then? Do you still think I'm delusional or something?' she asked quietly.

'Do you feel like you can kill Himura yet?' he asked, quite expressionlessly.

Kaoru sighed. 'Sano, that's not the point, alright? Everyone has his or her own weaknesses!! And it just happens that my stupid weakness is a red-haired bastard who happens to be a world-wanted assassin!' she said in exasperation. 'But I'm learning to deal with my weakness, okay? Maybe I can't shoot Himura right now, but I'm learning to do that! The only thing you need to do is cut me some slack here!'

'What is it about Himura that fascinates you, Kaoru?' he asked.

'I don't know what happens to me when I see him, Sano; it's as if I can't control my feelings when I see him...you have to get to know Himura to understand how it is; the Captain said so...he said that unless you meet him face-to-face, you won't know how it's really like,' she said earnestly. Sano didn't say anything. 'Just think about it, alright? Meanwhile, how come you haven't made your move yet? I thought you'd have asked Sayo out or something by now.'

Sano's cheeks colored up immediately. 'Shut up!' he hissed. 'She'll hear you!'

-

'Ok, what shall you pick?'

Sayo studied the many trays of donuts displayed before her thoughtfully. 'Well…' she murmured.

Sano chuckled. 'C'mon, you don't have to spend that much time choosing! This isn't a test or anything; I assure you I'm not going to ask you what color sprinkles are on the average donut!' he teased her.

'I know, I know,' she said impatiently. 'I've almost decided.'

'Lemme save you the trouble,' he offered, and turned to the clerk. 'Give us a large box of donuts…assorted.'

'You're a genius, know that?' Sayo teased.

'Glad I could be of service,' he said, smiling. 'And we'll have two mugs of cappuccino along with that please.'

They carried their orders to a table in a corner of the store, and sat down on the comfortable leather couches. They didn't say anything for a while, with Sayo sipping at her mug and biting daintily at her donut, and Sano trying his best to remember all the table manners he'd been taught; he couldn't believe he had actually gone and asked her out. What more, Sayo had actually said yes, and that was more surprising to him.

'So…' he finally said. 'I've heard that the Captain had trained you too.'

'Yeah, he did,' she admitted. 'After my parents died in a car accident, we, me and my brother, went under his custody…Shogo went away to university, and left me behind…I didn't stay with the Captain or anything, and I was left to live with a distant relative…but the Captain used to drop by quite often, and whenever he did, he used to take the opportunity to train me. I could honestly say that I'm excellent when it comes to martial arts.'

'Hey, I won't argue with that,' he told her, smiling. 'Not after I've seen you take about twenty men on your own yesterday.'

Sayo blushed, but she waved a dismissive hand at the matter. 'Captain Sagara trained you too, didn't he?' she said, leaning forward and watching him with interest. 'I think I remember him mentioning you to me once or twice.'

Sano blinked. 'He did?' he said, surprised.

'Yeah, he talked a lot about you! Sano did this, and Sano did that. Sano performed his first double kick yesterday, and...I could tell he was quite proud of you,' she told him. She chuckled. 'In fact, he talked so much about you I was jealous! I was determined that when I met you, I'd beat you in a martial arts match!'

Sano laughed. 'Yeah? Well, that ought to be an interesting match! But you mustn't expect me to go easy on you because you're a girl!' he warned her, and she laughed as well. Sano sighed and looked down into his mug. 'But even if the Captain really said all these things, he really doesn't seem like it.'

Sayo noticed that he was looking rather hurt, and she reached out and placed a hand over his. 'Hey, it was probably all in good will,' she told him, and grinned. 'Besides, if he showed you he was proud then your head would've swelled up like anything!'

'Hey!' he protested, but grinned anyway. He found that he liked the feel of Sayo's hand against his, but to his disappointment, she pulled it away and picked out a donut out of the box.

'So…' she said, slowly, after she had taken a bite out of her donut sip from her mug. 'Tell me a little about yourself.'

'Me?' he said, and she nodded. 'Well, you ask me questions. What is it that you want to know about me?'

'Ok…let's see,' she murmured. She took another sip out of her mug and looked thoughtfully at him. 'Well, um…what are your hobbies?'

Sano scratched the back of his head. 'Well, lemme see, I like football, going after criminals, hanging out with my buddies…' he said, and paused for a moment as he racked his mind for something else. '…watching TV. That's it, I guess.'

'Oh,' she murmured, nodding her head slightly. 'Well…'

'Um...Sayo? Sayo, are you seeing someone?' he suddenly blurted out.

Sayo opened her mouth and after a moment, she closed it again, and smiled. 'No, I'm not seeing anyone right now,' she whispered, happy that he had been the one to ask that question. She looked shyly up at him. 'Are you?'

'Up till now? Nope. No one,' he replied, and smiled at her.

Sano couldn't believe how smoothly this date was going. By the time work day was over, he was actually giving her a ride back home. Of course, that was partly because she hadn't gotten her car yet, but it was still him who was giving her the ride. They had gotten to her place, and Sano had pulled up by the front lane, and now they were both sitting silently in the car.

Sano looked out through the window at the house at which she resided, and then took a glance around the neighborhood which was looking fairly empty. He nodded, as if he'd made up his mind on something. 'Right. I'll walk you to the door,' he said.

Sayo blinked. 'Oh, no, it's not necessary, I'll…' she started.

'But I insist,' he cut her off.

He stepped out of the car, walked around it to Sayo's side, and opened the door for her. With a smile and a slight bow to her head, Sayo stepped out of the car and accepted the arm which he had offered her, and then they both walked up the front lane that lead to the front steps that lead onto the porch. When they got to the door, she let go of his arm and turned around so she'd face him, with her back to the door.

'Well, it's been fun,' she said.

'Yeah, it has,' he agreed, digging his hands in his jeans pockets. He took an automatic step towards her.

Sayo tucked a loose strand behind her ear. 'Um…I'll see you tomorrow, then?' she said, and felt herself placing a one foot closer to him.

'Yeah, tomorrow,' he echoed, taking another step towards her.

They didn't realize that they both were moving in closer until they were standing just a foot away from each other. They were so close the top of Sayo's head was brushing against his chin. She looked up into his eyes, and Sano slowly lifted a hand and stroked her face. Her heart was thudding loudly against his chest and she opened her mouth to say something, but he touched a finger to her lips and whispered, "Sshhh". Then he gently put his hand underneath her chin and slowly lifted her face towards him while he leaned towards her, while his other hand slipped behind her back, while she on the other hand, snaked her hands up behind his neck. His lips closed on hers, and Sayo had just begun to melt into him, when...

'Watch it!!' she screamed.

Sano's eyes flew open. 'Huh?' he said, confused.

What happened next was a complete blur. He heard a gunshot, and felt himself crashing down to the ground as Sayo pushed him away from her. From his position on the ground, he was able to see that the bullet had met its target, as Sayo started to collapse to the ground. It took him but a few seconds to consume all this.

'Sayo!!' he cried out. He dropped down to his knees beside her, taking her small, fragile body into his arms. He watched in horror as blood blossomed from beneath her blouse and stained the white fabric. 'No! No!'

He looked around wildly for any sign of movement, any kind of movement around…there were none. Doors opened all around the neighborhood, and curious faces popped out to see what was going on. Sano looked down at Sayo, and saw that she was still moving. He held her tightly against him. 'Hang on…we'll call the ambulance, we'll…' he choked, ignoring the tears which were starting to well in his eyes.

'Sano…' she whispered.

He fell silent as she slowly reached out her hand to touch his face…but then she let a low moan of pain, and her hand dropped back to the ground.

Sano stared horrified at her unmoving body.

'NOOO!!!'

**-**

**A/N: Poor Sano!! Yeah, yeah, I know, this chapter was concentrated on him and Sayo a lot…I know. But I had to show that he actually loved her before I could shoot her done…um, I'm sorry if I angered any Sayo-fan out there…The next chappie will have some shocks in it, though…don't miss it!!**

_**- **S. N. B. _


	5. The Other Side of Him

**D/C: I don't own RK.**

**Hi! Boy, there was too much negative attitude towards my last chappie! It got me a little depressed, to tell u the truth…well, anyway, that chappie is over, time for my fifth chappie now; I just know you'll like it! Oh, and by the way; erica6060, I did mean to write _flush, _that's another word for blushing, reddening, etc…I certainly don't mean flushing the toilet! And there will be other characters showing up.**

**Ok, folks, enjoy!!**

**CHAPTER 5: Seeking for the Truth**

Kaoru and Captain Sagara pushed through the double-doors of the hospital's emergency section. Kaoru was feeling really worried, but when she glanced at the Captain, she knew she was no near to as worried as he was. They headed straight towards the receptionist desk, and Kaoru slammed both her hands on the desk's polished surface to grab the receptionist's attention when she wouldn't look up.

The receptionist frowned at her. 'Yes? How may I help you?' she asked politely.

'We're looking for Sayo Amakusa, 25-year-old female, brown hair…gunshot?' Kaoru said quickly.

'Oh, yes, she came in an hour ago,' the receptionist said, typing away on her keyboard. 'She's been stabilized. She's fine now.'

'Yes, yes, but can we see her?' the Captain said impatiently, and that was about the first time Kaoru ever saw him impatient. When she looked more closely, she noticed that he was on the verge of grabbing the receptionist by the front and bullying her for information. 'It's really important that we do.'

'I'm sorry, sir, but she's in the ICU right now, I can't allow you to…' the receptionist said. But she fell silent as they both pulled out their badges and held them in her face. 'Uh…you can get to the ICU from that direction.'

'Thanks,' Kaoru said, stuffing her badge back into her pocket. They hurried down the corridor which the receptionist had pointed out for them, and came to halt at the end of the corridor where the door leading into the ICU stood. She looked around uncertainly at the Captain. 'Should we go in?'

'Kaoru? Is that you?'

Kaoru looked around and saw Dr. Megumi Takani. 'Megumi! Hi! Listen, have you seen…?' she said, rather breathlessly.

'Sano and that other girl are in there,' Megumi interrupted her, pointing at the door.

'Well, can we go in?' Kaoru demanded.

Megumi looked them over. 'You have to put on clinical robes first. This way, please,' she told them. She led them over to a door and they went inside. She handed them each a clinical robe and slippers. 'Put those on, and then we'll go in through this door here.' She gestured at a glass door on the wall across from them.

Kaoru hastily started to pull on the robe. 'Megumi, how is she?' she asked, as she pulled the robe over her head and poked her head out of the opening. 'She's not badly hurt, is she? The receptionist told us she's been stabilized.'

Megumi sighed as she started to pull on a robe herself. 'Well, she has lost lots of blood, and some of her lung tissues were badly damaged, but we managed to stop the bleeding,' she told them. 'But, the thing is...she's in a coma now.'

'A coma?' Kaoru repeated blankly, thrusting her hand through the arms of the robe. Next to her, the Captain had paused midway in taking off his shoes. Kaoru looked closely at Megumi. 'Are you sure? A coma?'

'Yeah, we've tried everything, but all her vital signs saw that she's in a coma. She's still alive, alright, but she's just like an empty shell now, you know?' Megumi continued. She smiled apologetically at her. 'I'm sorry, Kaoru.'

'But…but…you can't just leave her like this!' Kaoru sputtered.

Megumi sighed wearily. 'I've already explained this to Sano, Kaoru, we can't do anything…nothing can be done about such cases,' she told her. 'The only thing that is left to be done is pray for her to wake up. That's all.'

'C-can we see her?' the Captain asked, his voice quivering slightly. It was the first time he'd spoken in a while, and when Kaoru looked around at him, he saw that he was looking really pale and ashen with worry. 'Please?'

'Yes, of course, let me lead you to her bed,' Megumi said. She pushed the door open and allowed them into the spacious room. Then she led them over to the furthest end of the room, where Sayo lay on a solitude bed in a corner, with Sano sitting quietly by her side. 'There she is.'

Kaoru and the Captain moved closer to the bed. Sayo was lying there underneath the clean white sheets, looking deathly-pale. She was connected to an Artificial Life Supporting System, and the monitor beside her bed continuously showed a flicker in her life line, showing that she was still there, still clinging on to life. Sano didn't seem to notice that they were there until Kaoru came up to him and touched his shoulder, and he jumped when she did.

'Kaoru…Captain…' he whispered.

When Kaoru saw how grave and upset Sano looked she felt like she would burst into tears, but she held them back. Crying would only make the situation worse. 'How do you feel?' she said softly, sitting down on the chair next to him.

'I…Sayo…' he choked and shook his head.

'Oh, Sano,' she whispered, and pulled him into a hug.

Sano buried his face in her shoulder and sobbed. 'It's all my fault!' he choked, clinging on to the back of her shirt. 'She shouldn't have been shot, it should've been me! But she got it while trying to protect me! It's my fault! My fault!'

'C'mon, Sano, don't say that, it's not your fault,' Kaoru said soothingly. She smoothed the hair on the back of his head. 'You didn't tell Sayo to protect you or anything; you didn't even realize you were going to be shot until after the bullet hit Sayo.'

Sano shook his head. 'It's my fault! My fault!' he choked.

Kaoru forced him to look at her and held his face between her hands. 'Stop saying that, alright? This had nothing to do with you, do you understand me? It's not your fault,' she told him. She looked around at the Captain. 'Captain, a little help, please?'

At the mention of the Captain, Sano looked up expectantly at him, waiting for his reply. But when the Captain said nothing, Sano felt his heart sink, and his shoulders slumped. 'Captain Sagara, I'm really sorry…' he whispered.

'Why are you apologizing, Sanosuke? You did nothing wrong,' the Captain said quietly.

'But, Captain…Sayo…' Sano croaked.

'It's not your fault, things like this just…happen…you cannot stop them, they are controlled by fate, and it's not in man's power to change fate,' the Captain told him, although from the tone of his voice, Sano realized that the Captain wanted this power…even if it were for a few moment…he wanted it to bring Sayo back. 'Man is helpless when it comes to fate.'

'Captain…' Sano whispered.

'Please, could you leave me alone with her?' the Captain asked.

'Uh...sure,' Sano said quietly. Then he, Megumi and Kaoru left the ICU. Sano saw the Captain occupying his abandoned chair before he shut the ICU's door close. Sano leaned against the wall. 'I've never seen the Captain look like this.'

'Yeah, I know; he looks so upset,' Kaoru murmured. She sighed and plopped down on a bench. 'Sano, did you get a view of who did this?' she asked wearily.

'No I didn't,' he said bitterly. He raked a hand through his hair. 'Anyway, do you think I'd be sitting here if I knew who did it?'

'I guess not,' she agreed. '…well, do you have an idea of who might've wanted to shoot you?'

'Of course I do...who else? Kenshin Himura!' Sano spat out.

-

Kaoru glanced at her watch before stepping into her apartment. It was already forty five minutes past midnight. Misao was bound to be asleep. She unlocked the door with her key and walked inside, before closing the door gently. She kicked off her shoes by the door, and was starting to walk to her room when she caught a pair of glowing eyes staring at her from the darkness of the living room which was right next to the entrance door.

Kaoru was about to utter a scream, but she stifled it back as she realized it was only the cat. Or to be exact, Kenny. She sighed in exasperation. She would've gladly sent this cat away or gave it to a vet or something, but then Misao would be suspicious and…she had this nagging voice in the back of her head which told her to keep it, and so she did. She shuddered slightly as the cat brushed against her legs and circled around them, purring softly.

She frowned. 'What do you want?' she whispered. The cat meowed loudly, and looked up at her. She glanced in the direction of Misao's room, but she didn't hear any sound indicating that she might've woken up. 'Shh, you idiot! Misao is sleeping!! What do you want? Food?'

The cat meowed again. Kaoru sighed and picked it up, and carried it to the kitchen. She set the cat on the kitchen table, and turned to the fridge. 'I wonder if Misao fed you while I was gone…well, Kenny…' she said, rummaging around through the contents of the fridge. 'Since I don't have any cat food, you'll have to do with some bacon for tonight.'

She pulled out a plate of left-over bacon and turned to the cat. She placed the plate in front of it. She was surprised, however, when the cat sniffed at the food and screwed up its nose.

'Come on! You don't find such a good meal on the streets! Why won't you eat?!' she exclaimed. But the cat jumped off the table, landed on all fours and padded out of the kitchen. 'Well, suit yourself!'

She left the plate outside just the same, in case Kenny got hungry for a midnight snack, and making a silent vow of buying some cat stuff tomorrow, she left the kitchen and walked to her room.

She really needed to rest; today was exhausting. She felt really sorry for Sano; he really seemed upset about Sayo. And for this to happen when he had started to like her…she sighed. Just as she grabbed the door's handle, she heard the whirring of the fax machine from the living room.

She frowned; who could be faxing her this time of the night?

She abandoned the handle and strode over to the living room. She switched on the lights and stepped up before the fax machine. She pulled out the printed out fax, and started to read. She gasped. Kaoru's hand shook terribly as she gripped the paper and stared at the words printed in bold letters.

**"I need to see you again, Kaoru-dono. Please meet me at the same location beside the fountain tonight. This is really important."**

Kaoru felt her breath catch up in her throat. It was Kenshin, and he wanted to see her again. _How could he ask me to meet him after what he'd done?_

Even though there was no proof that it had been Kenshin, Kaoru couldn't help but feeling it was him. She gritted her teeth and crumbled up the paper. She tossed it into the dustbin, and balled her hand into fists. _What the hell should I do now?_

Should she go and meet him? But what if he shoots her down too? Should she tell Sano and the Captain? But then they would catch him and put him in jail or maybe execute him…but she wanted that…or did she? And what was so important that he wanted to meet her? Was he going to discuss the thing he did today? Should she go and find out? But then again, he might kill her, and…

Kaoru felt a million questions swarming in her head, and she hated that. She hated having questions which remained unanswered. If the Captain and Sano went with her, Sano would probably shoot Kenshin the same second he sees him, and then her questions will never be answered. So what should she do? She glanced at the crumbled sheet of paper in the bin, and her mind was set.

She'll go meet Kenshin, and after she gets her answers, she'll shoot him down…she'll do it for Sano.

-

'I'm here, what do you want?'

Kaoru stepped up beside the fountain where Kenshin was standing, and she held out her gun at him. Her hands were shaking terribly, though, and she just couldn't seem to get a perfect aim at him, whereas he was just standing there so calmly beside the fountain.

Kenshin looked around and smiled pleasantly at her. 'Oh, good evening, Kaoru-dono,' he said, seeming totally unfazed by the gun in her hand.

'First of all, it's morning now,' she said through gritted teeth. She tried to compose herself and tried to appear more tough. It wouldn't do her good if Kenshin found out that she was a bit scared. 'Second of all, it's not a _good _evening…not after what you've done, anyway.'

Kenshin's smile faded. 'Yes, I understand what you mean,' he said softly.

'So it _was _you!' Kaoru said, starting to feel a wave of anger surge through her. She advanced on him, gun still raised. 'You're the one who shot Sayo!'

Kenshin shook his head. 'No, Kaoru-dono…it wasn't me,' he replied.

Kaoru scowled at him. 'Yeah, right! Like I could believe that!' she snapped. 'Listen here, Himura, I'm getting really tired of your stupid games, alright? If you don't provide me with a good confession, I'll shoot you down…here…now.'

'I told you, it wasn't me,' he said earnestly.

'So how come you know about it if it isn't you?' she demanded.

'I…' he started, and paused as he started to ponder his next words in his head. 'I can't tell you, I'm sorry.'

'What do you mean you can't tell me?' she said angrily, and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. 'I'm sick of this, alright? You follow me, you give me your umbrella…you give me a cat! A cat which you picked up from the street! You act all so nice towards me and you keep smiling that freaky smile of yours! And till now, you haven't made any attempt to kill me or even hurt me! And…and…I demand an explanation, Himura!!'

She was going to say, "_And I even can't get the courage to shoot you because I…_"…even in her thoughts she couldn't complete what she was going to say. Because of _what?_

Kenshin smiled down at her and slowly eased her hands off his shirt. Then he stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked up at the moon. 'It's a full moon tonight,' he said quietly.

'So what? You aren't a werewolf or anything!' she snapped. 'Don't change the subject!'

'Well…' Kenshin turned his attention away from the moon and fixed it on her. Kaoru found herself wishing he'd look away; his stare was giving her the creeps. 'You remember what I told you about me giving you that umbrella because you needed it, because you were getting soaked through?' he asked, and she nodded. 'It's also because I felt that you were different from any one else I've met.'

She frowned at him; she was fighting the impulse to strangle him with her bare hands; she simply hated his coolness. However, she was determined that she'd remain cool as long as he was that way. 'Different?' she repeated. 'What do you mean by different?'

'I can sense people's chi, Kaoru-dono…I've always managed to do that, and the chi I sensed in you was more…enticing, interesting, exciting, I dunno…but I knew you were different from others…' he told her. 'Then when I started to follow you around and learned more about you, I became automatically drawn to you...and I wanted to give you something, and I thought the kitten was nice, even if it were one I picked up from the street.' He smiled down at her. 'I guess stuff like that just happen.'

'No, they don't!' she snapped. 'And will you stop smiling? It freaks me out!!'

'Sorry,' he murmured. 'I didn't know that.'

Kaoru massaged her temples. 'This is just too confusing, alright? I've got all these stuff mixed up in my head and I can't make head or tail out of them!' she cried out in frustration. 'I hate that! And you aren't helping!'

'Well, let me help you, tell me what's confusing you,' he told her.

'Why don't you start by telling me about why you wanted to shoot Sano?' she asked, sharply.

'But I told you it wasn't me…I didn't intend to shoot him and I wasn't the one who shot Sayo,' he told her, but she just narrowed her eyes at him. 'Kaoru-dono, I swear it wasn't me.'

'So who was it?' she demanded.

'Huh?' he said.

'If it wasn't you, then who was it?' she asked again.

Kenshin opened his mouth for a moment, but then he quickly clamped it shut again. 'I'm sorry, but I already told you that I can't tell you,' he said, shaking his head. 'I'm not even allowed to tell any one. I'm really sorry.'

'Tell me, already!' she exploded. 'I don't care if you're allowed or not!! I just want to know who's the one who shot Sayo, alright? I only want to know!'

'I can't, I'm sorry,' he muttered.

'Please…I need to know…you don't how important this is for me…and for Sano…and for the Captain' she said, trying to keep her voice steady. Images of Sano and the Captain in the ICU unit looking so sad, and images of a deathly-pale Sayo lying on her hospital bed flashed in her mind. 'I need to know who did it…I want the truth.'

She didn't want to feel so torn apart and lost anymore…this whole Kenshin Himura thing was confusing her, and she had always liked her cases to be crystal clear, but this one had so many questions and mysteries…Himura was a mystery on his own. She felt like she didn't care what happened as long as she got all her questions cleared out, but that, she knew, was her own selfishness.

'Kaoru-dono…' Kenshin said softly.

'Tell me already!' she shouted. 'Tell me or I kill you!'

Kenshin sighed. He looked down at the ground, scratched the back of his head, and looked back up at her again with those violet eyes of his. And when Kaoru looked into those spheres, she realized she could see some deep emotion rendered within…it wasn't hatred, it wasn't malevolence, it wasn't rage; it was sorrow…deep sorrow.

_What's behind you, Kenshin? What grief is stored inside you?_

'Alright, I'll…I'll tell you,' he finally agreed. 'But this is a secret I've been keeping for ages; you must promise me to keep it.'

'I'm not going to promise you anything,' she said firmly.

'But…' he sputtered.

'I'm not promising you,' she repeated. 'I'm not about to make anything close to a deal with a class-A murderer.'

Kenshin sighed in exasperation. 'Alright, I should've known better than to argue with you,' he mumbled.

He paused, and Kaoru felt her breath catching in her throat. Finally she was going to find Kenshin's secret, finally she'll be able to rid herself of all this confusion. But she didn't see what he was going to tell her. In fact, she had expected anything but that…

'It's…it's my twin brother, Kaoru-dono,' he said, avoiding her eyes. 'His name is Shinta.'

**-**

**A/N: Big question mark there, huh? I bet you never expected that, right? I bet you all thought Kenshin had a kind of split-personality or something, didn't you? Well, anyway, Kenshin will reveal the whole truth…and by truth I mean everything…in the next chappie, so be sure not to miss it! And Kaoru was kinda over-dramatic, wasn't she? Sorry about that. Um, and sorry this chappie was shorter than the usual.**

_**- **S. N. B. _


	6. Enigma

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.**

**Ok, people, I hope you are all recovered from the shock of my last chappie, now it's time for you to get a little more information about Shinta, and that's what I'm giving you. Alright, happy reading!!**

**CHAPTER 6: Enigma**

There was a moment of silence in which Kaoru just stared, bewildered at Kenshin. Of all the answers she had expected, this one never came across her mind; the idea of a twin was just too absurd, and what she found more absurd is that Kenshin was probably expecting her to buy it. Kaoru found herself practicing a lot of self control to stop herself from laughing at that moment...but she was finding this a little two much.

She took a deep breath and finally spoke up. 'A twin?' she said incredulously.

'Yeah, a twin,' he said.

Kaoru waved her hands around as if asking him to stop. 'Ok, ok, hold on, I think I get what you're saying…you have an evil twin named Shinta, and you're the good, helpless twin and your name is Kenshin, right?' she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

'In a manner of speaking, yes,' he admitted, that same serious expression never leaving his face.

Whatever self-control she had, Kaoru couldn't help but burst out laughing at that moment. When she looked up, she saw that Kenshin was looking a bit indignant. 'Oh, I'm sorry!' she wheezed. 'But that's gotta be the silliest thing I've ever heard!!'

Kenshin sighed and pushed back his crimson bangs away from his face. 'I had a feeling you'd say that,' he told her. 'You're right; it does sound extremely silly; why would you believe me? Nobody ever did.'

Kaoru frowned at him. 'Of course nobody will believe you, dammit!' she said. 'For God's sake, a twin? If you'd said split-personality, I'd have said ok, maybe…but a twin? A whole new person? Now that, I find really hard to believe!'

Kenshin shrugged. 'That's just how it is,' he said.

Kaoru was getting really irritated. 'Enough of your games, Himura, tell me the truth,' she said, sticking the gun in his face again.

'I already did, it's up to you to believe,' he replied.

Kaoru sighed and massaged her temples again; all this was giving her a splitting headache. 'Ok, ok, let's say you really have an evil twin…I'm not saying I believe you, but I'm gonna play along for the moment, alright?' she said.

'Whatever you say' he agreed.

'Right…well, if you have a twin, then how come nobody's noticed before?' she asked.

'We've been hiding it well, not even his minions know about him, they think that Kenshin is the only one existing,' he told her.

'Did you say "we"? Have you been helping him?' she asked.

'Yes, I have,' he admitted.

'But why? Didn't you say he's evil?' she demanded.

'Oh, he is evil, no arguments there,' he said. 'But he's my brother, my flesh and blood, and I kinda know what he's going through…the bloodlust is just too powerful…besides, my brother can be very convincing.'

'Convincing?' she repeated.

'You can't imagine the measures my brother would take to get what he wants,' he explained.

'But he's still a criminal! How can you defend him like that? You should give him in right away!' she said angrily. 'But in stead, you're letting him run amok! Killing people, and robbing banks, and spreading drugs, and...'

Kenshin shook his head. 'Shinta and I have been through a very rough childhood, our parents had been murdered right in front of us…you can't blame him for all the anger and hatred stored within him,' he said. 'It's only natural that he does what he's doing.'

Kaoru stared at him, shaking her head in disbelief. 'I don't believe you!' she said hoarsely. 'You say you're the good guy, but you're even worse than him! Ok, so you don't do anything, but you just sit back and watch your brother commit those crimes, and you don't even try to stop him! That's as if you are totally with what he's doing! That you totally agree with him!'

'I don't!' Kenshin cried. 'Believe me, I don't!'

'But you let him roam around killing people!' she said.

'You don't know Shinta, Kaoru-dono! And you certainly don't know the hell I've been living through!' he cried out, agitated. 'You don't know anything!'

'What do you mean?' she asked, frowning.

'Ok, call me weak, call me pathetic, call me whatever you want when I finish talking, but I'll tell you everything…and I mean everything,' he said softly. 'I've tried to act all calm and confident, but it doesn't seem like it's working.'

Kenshin walked over to a nearby bench and sat down on it, sighing wearily. He put his face in his hands, resting his elbows against his knees. Kaoru slowly put down her gun and tucked it in her jacket. Then she sat down at the edge of the fountain. Kenshin was going to let her in on very serious information, something nobody knew of. She wasn't sure she was going to believe his story, but who knows? She just might accept it…

'My family was poor, Kaoru-dono…it was me, Shinta, two other brothers and two other sisters, and of course, my parents…and we lived in this tiny little house which barely held us in this little farmers' village, but we were happy, and believe it or not, Shinta was good, maybe even the best one in the family,' he told her. 'But after a while, dad became unable to pay his rents and bills, and we got kicked out of the place,…dad whisked us and our few belongings into his cart and carried us away…'

'What happened then?' she asked.

'We were attacked by a group of bandits, they stole our belongings and killed off our parents before carting us away to the black-market to sell us as slaves and servants,' he went on. 'A circus owner bought Shinta and me, said we made such a cute twosome, he took us away from the rest of our siblings, I never saw them again, and for all I know, they could be dead or something.'

Kaoru sat listening with rapt attention, she couldn't believe that Kenshin had lived through that kind of torment; she didn't think she could bear it.

'This circus guy was no better than those bandits, he made us work 24/7, giving us no or little food, he trained us on circus acts and everything, and when we didn't do as he pleased, he'd threaten to cage us with the lions, but most of the time he'd use his whip on us,' he said, sounding weary. 'We were kept starved most of the time, and we only managed to stay alive by stealing food of the visitors…Shinta went as far as to stealing wallets and cash, you should see the amount of cash he managed to get his hands on…he was totally overcome by greed.'

_"He had started off as a pickpocket and thief", yes, that's what the report said._

'The circus owner found out, of course, nothing ever stays hidden from him…and to this day, I keep wishing he didn't find the money, the outcome wasn't very good,' Kenshin heaved a sigh before continuing. 'There used to be this woman working there, and she really liked us and always took care of us…she was there to defend us when the owner found the money. The owner got very angry with her, and he gave her a hard blow which sent her unconscious, but we thought she was dead at that time, and Shinta was really attached to her…he grabbed a sword which was used for juggler shows, and attacked the owner with it…the owner was dead within moments…if only Shinta had waited to check on her first, then everything would've be fine…'

_'It's your fault, you know!!' she had cried. 'If you'd given them decent food and proper shelter, they wouldn't have started stealing and mugging people!'_

_'Shut up, you old bitch! Just shut up!' the circus owner shouted. 'This is none of your business! Keep your nose out of this!'_

_'I most certainly shall not!! It's about time somebody stood up to you and your twisted ways! They're only kids, for God's sake, and you want to whip them a hundred times, you bastard? Have you got no mercy?' she screeched._

_'Shut up, woman! Shut up I tell you!!' he bellowed. _

_He raised his heavy hand and gave her a hard blow across the face which sent her flying to the ground. Shinta and Kenshin stared at Noriko, the woman who had loved them and taken care of them, lying on the ground. They're first impression was that she was dead._

_Then Shinta turned to the man. 'You killed her, you bastard!!' he shouted, tears welling in his eyes._

_'You keep your mouth shut!! I'm not through with you, boy! I swear I'll…' the man bellowed._

_It all happened in a flash of a moment. The circus training had made Shinta quite quick and light on his feet. Kenshin stared in horror as his brother pulled a sword out of a nearby weapon rack, and charged at the owner. The man had barely time to react when Shinta pushed the sharp blade into his skin._

_Blood blossomed onto his frilled white shirt, and the man let out a horrible scream. He clasped his hands around Shinta's small neck as an attempt to rid himself of the boy, but Shinta didn't even budge, he pushed the blade in further, and crimson blood sprayed onto his face. The man's next scream when Shinta twisted the knife around, was the most horrible sound Kenshin ever heard in his nine years of life._

_The man then let out a low gurgle of pain and crumbled down to the ground in a dead heap._

_Shinta, then, turned around and looked at his brother. Kenshin recoiled when he saw Shinta's face. It was all dotted with crimson, and his eyes were wide and scary, and he was smiling. 'I killed him, Ken…I killed him,' he said hoarsely._

'Oh my God!' Kaoru gasped.

'We were left with no other choice but to run, Shinta would surely be doomed if he got caught…so we roamed around, living off the money Shinta had managed to acquire, but soon the money was over, and we would've certainly died if it weren't for Hiko Seijuro,' Kenshin said.

'Who?' Kaoru demanded.

'He's the master of a swords' technique called the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu…I suppose you heard of it?' he asked.

'Yeah, I did,' she replied. She paused for a moment. 'And I've read about it in you bio, too.'

Kenshin nodded. 'We met him in an old tavern where we had managed to get ourselves some jobs…he was sitting there at the bar drinking off Sake, and he was boasting about his great ability with the sword, and telling the people who were interested about his adventures and so on…' Kenshin said. 'It might surprise you to know that there are still some swordsmen roaming around in Japan, but there are…although they are very few in number.'

'Uh-huh,' she said.

'Shinta sat there listening to the man with rapt attention, I was listening too, but not with the same interest…I clearly remember Shinta coming up to the man when he was finally left alone, and asking him to train him to become a swordsman,' Kenshin said.

_'Here's your Sake, sir…'_

_Kenshin stood in a distance, wiping at a table with a dirty old piece of cloth, watching warily as Shinta handed a tankard of liquor to the guy who had been boasting about his sword fighting skills all night long. What was his brother up to now?_

_He watched as Hiko Seijuro looked down drunkenly at Shinta, and snatched the tankard out of his hands. He put its rim to his lips and gulped down some of the alcoholic liquor. He only stopped drinking when he noticed that Shinta didn't budge from beside him. 'What do you want, boy? I'm not giving you any tip if that's what you're waiting for,' he said gruffly._

_Shinta shook his head. 'Oh, no, sir! I don't want a tip!' he said, smiling. 'I just wanted to ask you something.'_

_Hiko scowled at him and took another swig from his tankard. 'What is it that you want to ask me?' he asked._

_'Well, it's more close to a favor than it is to a question…' Shinta said, wringing his hands together._

_'Forget it, I don't do favors' he muttered, raising up the tankard again._

_'Will you at least listen to me?' Shinta said, a bit angrily._

_Hiko, then, put down the tankard, and looked at Shinta, his lips curved into something between a smirk and a smile. 'Tell me, boy, what's your name?' he asked._

_'Shinta…Shinta Himura, sir,' he answered._

_'Ok, Shinta, I'll listen to you, but this better be good,' he said bemusedly._

_Shinta nodded. He climbed up upon a stool and turned it around so he'd face Hiko. 'Well, would you…? Uh, I was wondering if you'd agree to teach me swords fighting,' he said so quickly you could barely understand him._

_Hiko stared at Shinta for a moment, and Shinta was starting to think that the man hadn't really understood him, and that's when Hiko burst out laughing. 'You can't be serious! Oh, good Lord! This has to be the funniest thing I had heard in months!!' he said, banging at the table with his fist._

_Shinta glared at him. 'Stop it!' he said fiercely. 'Stop laughing! There's nothing funny about it!!'_

_'Shinta!!' the bartender suddenly shouted, noticing that Shinta was talking to a customer. He hurried forward towards them, and bowed his head repeatedly to Hiko. 'I'm sorry, sir, was this boy bothering you?'_

_'No, he wasn't bothering me,' Hiko said pleasantly. 'In fact, he's rather entertaining me.'_

_The bartender frowned at Shinta for a moment, before walking away to see to other customers. Shinta, on the other hand, glared at Hiko. 'Entertaining you, am I?' he said. 'Listen here, ok? I've never been more serious…I want to become a swordsman, alright?'_

_Hiko smiled. 'I like your determination, boy,' he said and ruffled his hair. 'I think I'll consider teaching you.'_

_Shinta's expression brightened. 'You will?' he said._

_Hiko took a sip from his Sake, and then looked in Kenshin's direction. 'Who's that? Your brother?' he asked._

_'Yes, and his name is Kenshin,' Shinta answered._

_'Does he want to learn swords fighting too?' he asked._

_'I don't know, I'll ask him,' Shinta said, shrugging. 'But I'm not about to leave him behind…if you take me along with you, you take Kenshin as a part of the package, get it?'_

'Shinta didn't want to leave me behind, and I didn't want to be left behind either, so Hiko Seijuro took us both and trained us on the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu techniques,' Kenshin told her. 'He was keener on Shinta, though, I think he preferred him to me, but he was quite proud of both of us for simply wanting to learn the technique, because nobody wanted to learn it nowadays, everybody preferred guns and all the other machinery.'

'And what about the…um…Battou-Jutsu technique? Did he teach it to you as well?' she asked.

'No, it wasn't Hiko,' Kenshin said. 'Shinta went and learned it somewhere else.'

'Shinta? What about you? Didn't you master it as well?' she asked.

'No, and I don't intend to' Kenshin said, sharply, and Kaoru was taken by surprise at the sudden change in his attitude. He sighed and smiled patiently at her. 'Battou-Jutsu is a technique used to kill people, and I'm not a killer…I never will be.'

'What happened then?' Kaoru asked.

Kenshin sighed again. 'Shinta turned against our sensei,' he said. 'He was sleeping and was very drunk, actually, he was drunk most of the time, he didn't sense Shinta's approach, and Shinta killed him…clean and simple.'

'What?' she cried. 'He killed him? But…but…why?'

'His Battou-Jutsu technique…whoever his tutor was told him he had to get some targets…he called them training targets…' he snorted. 'Shinta kept killing people, and his blood lust augmented, and…apparently, Hiko was just another target, and Shinta seemed to think he was useless to him now that he had taught him everything about Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, anyway, he had to go…Shinta had this new philosophy, see? Anybody who was useless had to die.'

'That's about the silliest thing I ever heard!' she said.

'Tell me about it,' Kenshin muttered.

'So, Hiko died? I mean, are you sure he died? Did you go back and check?' she asked.

'I wanted to…I mean, I wanted to give the man a proper burial, but Shinta wouldn't allow me to,' Kenshin said. 'But I'm pretty sure he died, a slash from Shinta's sword meant certain death…I know one person who survived, though…I guess you know him, too.'

'Who is it?' she demanded.

'The Captain,' Kenshin answered.

'Captain Sagara?' Kaoru gasped. Kenshin nodded. Kaoru then remembered that he had told her yesterday that he'd met Battousai before; it all made sense. 'Yes, I remember him mentioning something about meeting up with you…'

'You mean Shinta,' he corrected her gently.

'No, it was you, I didn't say I believed you yet,' she said sharply, and he sighed. She gestured for him to continue with his story. 'And what happened with the Captain? Are you planning to tell me anything about that?'

'Well, your Captain used to work in Japan as a police officer before coming here to US…' Kenshin said.

'Yes, yes, I know that,' Kaoru said impatiently.

'Easy now, Kaoru-dono…I'll tell you everything, there's no need for the rush,' he said, and she blushed. 'Your Captain, along with six other officers and their captain at that time had managed to corner Shinta, they thought that they had finally managed to capture him, but they didn't know Shinta's strength, even with their bullets and machine guns they couldn't get to him…Shinta slashed them down one by one, your Captain got it too, but apparently, he was wearing a second bulletproof vest underneath his shirt, and he survived…all the other officers, though, died.'

Kaoru fell silent. That was what the Captain meant when he said "painful memories". Then she looked up angrily at Kenshin. 'Why didn't you do something? Why didn't you go give him in to the police?' she demanded.

'Shinta kept threatening that he'd kill more people if I ever went to the police, and I couldn't take the risk,' he said, avoiding her eyes.

'What are you? A coward?' she said angrily. 'How could you let him threaten you like that?'

'It's not just that…I told you, Shinta is my brother…and we once made a vow to never betray each other, and he helped me a lot,' Kenshin said. He heaved a heavy sigh and placed his face between his hands. 'I owe him.'

'You couldn't possibly owe him so much so as to keep you silent about him!' she asked incredulously.

Kenshin looked up at her. 'But I do owe him so much…I owe him my life,' he said quietly.

Kaoru didn't say anything for a moment. 'Your life?' she finally whispered.

'Shinta once saved my life,' Kenshin explained. 'That is one favor I can't forget, Kaoru-dono.'

'How did he save your life?' she demanded.

'After Shinta killed Hiko, I felt totally helpless and lost…' Kenshin murmured. 'I mean, Shinta was my brother, and to see him killing people like that, and to see him killing our sensei especially…I didn't know what to do, and I…I wanted to kill myself to rid myself of all this confusion.'

'You what?' Kaoru cried.

'I tried to hang myself…and I did it, I kicked the chair I was standing on from beneath me…but Shinta came at that moment and slashed the rope…he saved me from committing the greatest sin ever…' Kenshin murmured.

_Kenshin climbed up upon the wooden chair, and slowly pulled the noose of the hanging rope he had made earlier upon his head._

_He was finally going to leave this world, he was finally going to rid himself of all the miseries which had accompanied him his whole life…and most importantly, he was going to leave Shinta…if he died, then he wouldn't live under the torment of not being able to tell on his brother, he wouldn't have to betray him…_

_He felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead, and his heart thudded loudly against his chest, and his whole body trembled…but he was determined to do it…he had to die…_

_He took a deep breath, and kicked the chair out from beneath his feet. It was a feeling like never before. Kenshin gasped as he felt the air being squeezed out of his body. He felt like he was choking, and he wanted it to stop. He suddenly felt like turning back, but he couldn't; he had tied his hands behind him, and he couldn't reach out to undo the noose. Kenshin was suffocating, he gasped for air, but it was no use. His lungs felt as if they were on fire…_

_His life passed before his eyes; it was just like a movie, except that it was real._

_He saw his family, all grouped around the table, laughing together…_

_He saw the bandits shooting down his parents, and he heard the agonized screams of his mother…_

_He saw Shinta killing the circus owner…he saw his smile and his bloodied face…_

_He saw…_

_'Kenshin!!!' _

_Out of the corner of his eye, Kenshin saw Shinta stepping into the room, saw him unsheathing his sword…_

_The next thing he felt was a terrible pain as he crashed down to the floor._

_'Kenshin!!' Shinta cried, falling to his knees beside him. He threw the rest of the rope away and grabbed him by the shoulders, trying to shake him awake. 'What the hell were you doing?!'_

_Kenshin's head swooned for a moment, but it was shaken awake by a throbbing, painful pain. His eyes fluttered open, and he started gasping for air. His throat suddenly felt extremely parch too. 'Water…' he said hoarsely._

_Shinta quickly grabbed the glass of water Kenshin had placed earlier on the counter, and held it to his brother's lips, cradling his head with the other arm. Kenshin took the glass with trembling hands, and gulped down the water. Shinta took the empty glass away and brandished it aside. 'Why the hell did you do that?!' he demanded angrily._

_'I…I…' Kenshin choked._

_'Don't think you're about to go and leave me, Ken! I won't allow you to do that!! You're my brother, alright? We've been together from the beginning and we'll remain together till the end!' Shinta said. 'You hear that, Ken? I'm never going to leave you! I'll always be there for you, ok?'_

'At that time, I thought he saved my life because he loved me and cared for me…but after a while I realized that he only did it because he wanted me alive so he could use me as a scapegoat,' Kenshin muttered. 'He made it appear like I was the only one existing; he committed his hideous crimes, and threw all the blame on me. It wasn't Shinta who had committed them, it was me…Kenshin Himura was the murderer.'

'So why didn't you go and turn him in, then?' Kaoru asked.

'He saved my life…I know he did it for selfish reasons, but the act remains the same, Shinta rescued me from certain death, I can't betray him after that,' Kenshin said firmly. 'If you had been caught in the same situation, you'd understand what I'm talking about.'

'I just don't get you; I just know that if I had been indeed been in your place…' Kaoru said.

'But you're not,' Kenshin interrupted her. There was a bit of an edge to his voice.

'That's not that point!' Kaoru said impatiently. 'I know I would've given him in to the police if I were in your place…I wouldn't just lurk around doing nothing!!'

'Listen to me, alright?' he said angrily, and this was the first time she saw him like this. 'You are _not _in my place! You don't know what I've been through!! I bet you haven't lived a minute of it!! I've always been in the dark, nothing went right for me! All those whom I loved are deceased or in Shinta case, altered…you know, when I look at Shinta I feel like crying, I feel like grabbing him by the front and screaming at him for changing like that! You can't just simply say you're gonna do something when you haven't even lived it, it's not as easy as it seems!'

Kaoru didn't say anything. She just stared at him, shocked by his outburst. She always thought Kenshin to be calm and stabilized, but now he was angry, furious, filled with hatred…and that kinda caught her off-guard.

'And I don't just lurk around doing nothing!' he continued. 'I've failed some of Shinta's plans several times, sometimes I even manage to talk him out of doing what he's doing…and if I can't, I send warning messages to the targeted people…but I don't lurk around, alright?'

Kaoru remained silent, and when she didn't say anything, he looked up at her and his expression softened.

'Listen, I'm sorry I shouted at you like that, but I was just so angry…I'm really sorry,' he said softly.

Kaoru shook her head. 'N-no, it's alright,' she murmured. She wringed her hands together, looked up at Kenshin, then down at her hands again. She really wanted to ask him that question on her mind, but she wasn't too sure he'd answer it. 'Um...Mr. Himura? Kenshin?'

Kenshin jumped at being addressed in such a polite manner. 'Yes, Kaoru-dono?' he said.

'I wanted to ask you about your scar…' she said.

Kenshin's hand immediately flew to his cheek. 'My scar?' he repeated.

'Yes…well, how did you get it?' she asked.

A faraway look came upon his face, and his eyes became all glazed over as he recalled the memory.

…_"Damn you, Kenshin! You can't just escape and you know that! I won't allow you to!"_

The memory was just too painful.

…_"I…I gave you the scar so people could distinguish you, so they would know who's the good and who's the bad…I'm really sorry."_

'Kenshin?' Kaoru said tentatively.

Kenshin shook himself out of his trance, and he smiled at her. 'I'm sorry, Miss Kaoru-dono, but that's a different story…and I'm not ready to tell it to you, or to anybody, yet…it'll have to wait, I'm afraid,' he told her, and she nodded, although she was disappointed. 'Meanwhile, you have to promise to keep silent about what I had just told you.'

'What? You can't be serious! You can't expect _me _to stay silent!' she cried, immediately jumping up to her feet. 'I'm going to tell everyone! The CIA! The FBI! The police! They all need to know! We have to stop Shinta!'

'Please, Kaoru-dono, that's all what I'm asking for…don't tell anybody, please,' he pleaded.

'But…' she started to protest.

'Kaoru-dono, please, if Shinta ever finds out…' Kenshin said.

'He won't have time to find out!' Kaoru interrupted him. 'We'll go and get him immediately; you just have to tell us about his whereabouts and…'

'You think Shinta doesn't have spies? He has spies everywhere; even in the Agency he has spies,' he told her, and Kaoru's eyes widened at that. 'Yes, Kaoru-dono, the Agency. And if Shinta ever gets wind of this, he'll be pissed off, he'll start killing off people, he'll hurt you…'

'Me?' she said, blinking.

'Yes, you…and I don't want you to get hurt, Kaoru-dono…so, please, don't tell anyone…this isn't the right time,' he said.

Kaoru fumed, and turned her back to him. 'This isn't the correct time for anything, huh, Kenshin?' she said angrily. 'If this isn't the correct time, so tell me, Mr. Himura, when is it? Is it when Shinta kills off more people? Or is it when those spies grab hold of more information from the Agency? Or is it when…?'

She stopped when she suddenly couldn't feel him around. The place was totally silent.

She looked around. 'Kenshin?' she whispered.

But Kenshin was already gone.

**-**

**A/N: How was this chapter, then? I'm telling you, I was exhausted before I finished it! I had to come up with all this history concerning Kenshin and Shinta and I got stuck a lot, but I think it finally came out great (excuse my egotism). The scar mystery will remain a mystery till later on, but I will reveal it, so don't worry. Meanwhile, why don't you get busy and send me a review? Sounds like a good idea to me!**

_**- **S. N. B. _


	7. Seeking for the Truth

**D/C: …ok, ok, I don't own RK!!**

**Well, I'm back! I'm really glad you all liked that little piece of history I made! Thanks for all your reviews!! Anyway, I managed to squeeze myself into writing this chappie even with my exams going around, so if it's horrible or anything, don't blame me! **

**Well, anyway, ENJOY!!!**

**CHAPTER 7: The Other Side of Him**

The alarm rang shrilly, and Kaoru immediately shut it off. She didn't need the alarm to wake her up today, she had already woken up without it…in fact, she didn't get any sleep than night…but yet, she was feeling wide awake. She lay on her back on the bed, her raven locks spread all over her pillow. She was staring up at the ceiling, absently scratching at the little bundle of fur which was Kenny, who was curled up beside her.

She had stayed up the whole night thinking about what Kenshin had told her, about the miseries and tragedies he had experienced…she hated to admit it, but she did believe him; she believed every single word which had left his lips. He had said it with such honesty and sincerity, that she'd be a fool if she didn't believe him. She guessed it also came from her being such a trusting person.

Poor Kenshin. He had lived through a lot, and was still living. Other people would have normally gone insane or something ages ago. She was sure she would.

And he was innocent! He had never committed any single crime, except that little food theft at the circus…even that wouldn't be considered a crime when seeing the state he was living in! And he was the one to be blamed, he was the one wanted by the FBI and all the federal agencies…not Shinta, not the real murderer…He wandered loose while they chased after the wrong guy…

Just the thought of that filled her with anger. She hated it when somebody was done an injustice; it filled her with anger and disgust. And to keep silent to all that injustice…it was too much!

She wanted to pick up the phone receiver and dial up the Captain's number and tell him every single thing, every tiny item of information…but Kenshin had particularly begged her not to tell anyone, and he wouldn't have told her anything in the first place if he hadn't trusted her, and she didn't want to betray his trust. It was about time Kenshin found somebody to trust, somebody he would be able to put his faith in…and she intended to be that somebody. She will wait and see what was going to happen, but after that…what happens next? What will she do then?

She was saved the trouble of thinking up an answer by somebody knocking on the door. 'Kaoru?' Misao's voice carried through the door.

'Yes, Misao, what do you want?' she said.

Misao pried the door open and poked her head in through the crack. 'Good morning, Kaoru!' she said cheerfully. 'You're early today!'

'Yeah, I couldn't sleep…too much coffee,' Kaoru lied.

'Uh-huh, uh-huh, I get that all the time when I'm up studying for my finals,' Misao said, grinning. She waved a dismissive hand. 'Well, anyway, listen, I would really like you to meet some one, so if you could just come out to the living room and...'

'Who?' Kaoru asked, curiously.

'Um…remember Aoshi Shinomori…the guy in the picture?' Misao asked, and Kaoru nodded. She noticed that the girl was rather pink in the face. 'Well, he has come to take me to the University today…and I really want you to meet him.'

Kaoru smiled. 'Okay, sure; I'd love to meet the guy who's got my roomie so preoccupied she forgot to close the door when she came in last night,' she teased her, and Misao blushed some more. 'I'll be out in a moment…just let me freshen up a bit.'

'Ok…we'll wait,' Misao chirped, before slamming the door shut.

Kenny woke up then; he jumped up onto all fairs, the hairs on his back standing up as he started to hiss. 'Cool it, Kenny, it's alright; it was just Misao slamming the door,' she soothed him, rubbing his back. The kitten calmed down, and turned his big green eyes towards Kaoru, purring softly, and for a fleeting moment, Kaoru thought that he had somehow understood her. 'After all, your Kenshin's cat, I wouldn't be surprised if you have some special powers yourself.'

She picked him up, and put him gently to the ground; she didn't feel like parting with him now after what she'd known about Kenshin. Before the kitten used to disgust her, but now she felt quite…fond of him.

She pushed off the sheets, slipped her feet into her slippers and trudged over to her private bathroom. She freshened up quickly; brushed her teeth, washed her face, pulled back her messed-up hair. Then she pulled on her robe and left her room. She found Misao and Aoshi in the living room, and when she stepped in, Aoshi immediately stood up, bowing his head slightly.

'Good morning, Kamiya-san,' he said politely.

Kaoru was rather taken aback by Aoshi. The guy was tall…real tall, and he had such a foreboding and calm aura about him that Kaoru suddenly felt really uncomfortable. Another thing was that he, unlike Misao, looked much older than a University student.

'Uh…good morning,' she replied.

Misao laughed. 'It's okay, Kaoru! Aoshi is just acting extra polite because I told him you were a cop' she told her.

Kaoru smiled. She wanted to yell out that that wasn't what got her so worried, but she just kept her silence. She nodded at the tall guy. 'Oh, I see…trying to get on my good side, are you, Aoshi?' she said pleasantly.

'You could say so,' Aoshi said, seeming totally unfazed by what had been said about him. He didn't sit down until Kaoru took a seat, and when he did, he just sat on the edge of the sofa, looking really stiff. 'Misao told me so much about you.'

Aoshi's cold demeanor was setting off alarm bells in Kaoru's head, but, yet, she tried to keep the conversation going as smoothly as possible. 'She did?' Kaoru said, looking in Misao's direction. The girl blushed again. 'Wonder what she said?'

'Nothing but good, I swear!' Misao said quickly, looking alarmed.

Kaoru laughed. 'It's alright, I'm not going to bite you,' she assured her.

Aoshi glanced at his watch and shot a meaningful look in Misao's direction. 'Misao, we have to get going or we'll be late,' he told her, standing up.

'Right,' Misao said, jumping up to her feet at once. 'Let's go…I'll see you later, Kaoru.'

'Okay,' Kaoru said with a small wave of her hand. 'It was nice meeting you, Aoshi.'

'You, too, Kamiya-san,' he said, nodding at her.

Kaoru watched them silently as they left the room. Moments later she heard the door slam shut. 'Well, so much for meeting new people' she muttered.

She heaved herself of the couch and crossed the room to the door. On her way she passed the fax machine, and she automatically stopped beside it. She glanced at the dustbin and frowned when she found it empty. _Weird, I could've sworn it was half full yesterday night…could Misao have emptied it? But when did she get the time for that?_

She paused to consider this, but stopped when she remembered something else. _Hey! I didn't see any bag or books or whatsoever with Misao or Aoshi…but didn't they say they were going to the University? And what the hell is wrong with the guy? He looks older than me, for God's sake! And he's ever so stiff and cold…_

…_weird!_

…_or maybe I'm just being too paranoid…_

…_oh, well, what the heck…_

She shook those thoughts away from her head as she thought about her plans for the day.

_Time to do some serious fieldwork…_

-

'Good morning, Saitou!!'

Saitou looked up from the paperwork which was laid before him on the desk. He blinked when he saw her. 'Kaoru!' he exclaimed. He really looked genuinely surprised to see her in his office. 'What…what are you doing here?'

'Can't I drop by to see my boyfriend?' she asked innocently, and he shook his head expressionlessly. She pouted and held up a paper bag. 'I brought some donuts. No Kaoru means no donuts. It's your choice.'

'Okay, okay, Kaoru can stay,' he told her, admitting defeat. She grinned and handed him the bag, and he accepted it from her. She kissed him lightly on the lips before sitting down on one of the chairs by the desk. 'Thanks.'

'No problem. Although, I've always wondered...what is it with you cops and donuts, anyway?' she said, frowning slightly. 'I really never seem to get the relationship'

Saitou shrugged. 'No idea, but why resist a good thing, eh?' he said, opening the bag. He took a out a chocolate glazed donut, took a bit out of it, and offered the bag to her. 'Want one?'

Kaoru shook her head. 'No, thanks, I've already had some breakfast,' she told him. 'So, how are you today?'

Saitou munched onto a donut and smiled at her, his eyes narrowing slightly. 'Ok, Kao…you and I both know you're here for something,' he said. He leaned back in his chair and twirled the donut around his finger. 'So, tell me what you want and get it over with.'

Kaoru scowled. 'You always get me! You use your super police psychic power; that's cheating!' she protested, sinking down into her chair. Saitou just continued to smile at her, and she stuck her tongue out at him. 'Ok, fine, yes, I want you to do something for me…I need some information.'

'Ok, and that information concerns…?' he said, and his voice trailed off.

'Well…' she said.

Last night when she couldn't sleep the time was not wasted staring up at the ceiling and shifting into a more comfortable position in bed…she had spent it by giving serious thought to what Kenshin had told her. She tried to figure out a way to capture Shinta without him finding out, but she didn't have too much success in that. She thought about all the things he had gone through, and kept replaying their conversation over and over in her mind…

But she had been given thought to Hiko Seijuro mostly…somehow, she had the feeling this guy was not completely out of the picture…and her gut feelings came out true most of the time. She was sure he was around somewhere, hiding or something…

_If the Captain survived, then there's a slight possibility that Hiko might have survived too…and Kenshin never went back and checked to see if he was really dead, so…he could be alive!_ And if he turned out to be alive, then she'd be able to confirm Kenshin's story, not that she didn't believe him already…but it was better to be sure that she was on the safer side…but if were really dead, then it'll be a different story…

'Okay, I was wondering if you could get me information about a guy called Hiko Seijuro,' she said casually, toying with a strand of her hair.

'Hiko Seijuro, huh? What did he do?' Saitou asked, before taking another bite of his donut.

'Well…I think he might be involved in a bank theft,' Kaoru lied.

'But that's police business…bank thefts and all,' Saitou pointed out. He smiled at her. 'What do you want with a bank robber, eh? He's a left-over, and left-overs are for us, remember?'

'I know, I know,' she said impatiently. 'And it's not him I want; it's the guy he works for that I'm after.'

'Really?' Saitoh said keenly. 'And what did his boss do?'

'Sorry, Saitoh, this is top secret,' she said.

Saitou scowled; sometimes Kaoru just got on his nerves. 'If it's so top secret, then why the hell'd you come telling me about this Seijuro guy and asking me for information? Couldn't you have gotten hold of the stuff at the Agency?' he demanded.

'Yes, that's what I would do usually,' Kaoru admitted. She reached out and touched his nose affectionately. 'Don't be mad, okay? It's just that this guy has no past records…his name just came up while we were questioning someone.'

'Oh,' Saitou said, nodding his head slightly. He sighed. 'And whatever gives you the idea that I would have information about him when the dude has no past records, eh?

'Well, we were told that he's quite fond of Sake, always drunk…' Kaoru said, counting them off her fingers. She paused to think. 'And I thought that maybe he had been involved in car accidents, or pub quarrels…you know, stuff like that.'

'Hmm, ok, I'll look through our records for you,' he agreed. 'He does live around here, right?'

Kaoru smiled weakly. 'Erm...well, the thing is...I'm not exactly sure he does even live in the States,' she told him, and he raised an eyebrow at her. 'Well, he used to live…and maybe still is…in Japan. I know you have good relationships with officers in Japan, so I thought you could probably locate him.'

Saitou sighed again. 'God, Kaoru! Nothing comes out of you but trouble!' Saitou said, exasperated.

Kaoru kissed him again. 'And you love me for it. Come on, Saitou, I know you'll do a great job!!' she said, smiling. She paused as she suddenly remembered something. 'Ooh, and if this will help, the guy carries a sword.'

'A sword, huh?' Saitou said. He nodded, all business-like. 'That'll definitely help'

-

Kaoru stepped into the elevator, pressed the button to the forth floor, and then took out her cell phone to check up a phone number while she got lifted to her desired floor. There was a sound of ringing as she got to the forth floor. Kaoru, still looking down at the small screen, stepped out of the elevator and collided with a man standing out there.

'Oh! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!!' she said, flustered. She looked up at the guy she had bumped into and saw a really tall one with spiky blond hair and a pointy face. 'I really wasn't watching where I was going! Sorry!!'

'Whoa! Calm done! It's alright! No harm done!' the man exclaimed. He held out his arms and puffed up his chest. 'See? I'm fine!'

Kaoru laughed. 'Yeah, I can see that,' she said. She studied him for a moment. 'Hey, I've never seen you around here before.'

'That's because you're always out on the field and I'm stuck with paperwork,' he told her. 'My office is down the corridor…feel free to join me any time…just notify me at first so I could clear out some space for you to sit, the room's drowned with papers!'

Kaoru laughed again. 'Ok, I'll drop by,' she said. 'The name's Kaoru, by the way.'

'Yes, I know. I'm Cho...I'll see you around, then,' he said, and turned back to the elevator. 'Damn! It's gone up to floor seventeen!!'

Chuckling to herself, Kaoru made her way to her office lobby. She pushed the door open and walked inside. To took a few moments before a particular head of spiky brown hair caught her attention. She hurried forward towards him and tugged at his sleeve. 'Sano? Sanosuke, what are you doing here?'

Sano looked up at Kaoru with red-rimmed eyes with black circles underneath. 'I'm working, what else?' he said irritably. 'That's why I come here, isn't it?'

'I didn't mean that,' she said impatiently. 'But...um...after yesterday's events...I thought you would skip work today.'

Sano scowled. 'Don't you think I wanted to?' he muttered, and shot an accusing glare in the direction of the Captain's office. 'But _he _wouldn't let me! Somehow, I think he's angry at me because of what happened to Sayo.'

Kaoru sighed and sat down on the chair next to him. 'No, Sano, I don't think he's angry at you; he told you that himself, remember?' she told him soothingly. 'He just wants you to come here so he could keep an eye on you.'

Sano raised an eyebrow at her. 'Ok, lemme get this straight, are you saying that he doesn't trust me now?' he demanded.

Kaoru swatted his arm. 'Not that, you idiot!' she snapped. 'For goodness sake, you almost got killed yesterday! The Captain wants to see you in front on him so he can make sure nothing of that sort happens again! Don't you see? He's worried about you!'

'Could be,' he murmured. He suddenly became very interested in his fingernails in an attempt to avoid her eyes. 'Um…listen, I'm sorry about doubting you the other day

Kaoru blinked. _Sano's admitting that he was wrong?! Wow! That's a first!! _'Well…' she said. She didn't want to rub it in; she didn't want to cloud his mood any more than it already was; although on normal days, she would've gladly done so. '…apology accepted, buddy.'

The smile which broke onto his face was worth it. 'Thanks,' he said earnestly. 'So, how's that report the Captain gave you going, anyway?'

'Um…it's going fine…' Kaoru said. She felt her cheeks become a little warm and she lowered her gaze. 'I'm...erm...making progress, yeah.' He didn't say anything and she chanced a look up at him. 'You still think he's the one who did it, don't you?'

'Yeah, I do…I mean, who else?' he muttered.

Kaoru was getting fidgety and she twisted and untwisted her fingers together. 'Well, you know, there's a possibility of it being the act of some one else…it doesn't necessarily have to be Kenshin…' she said casually.

'Are you defending the guy?' Sano asked, frowning.

'No!' Kaoru cried out. 'I'm just saying that it might not be so good to jump to conclusions without having solid matter to rely on.'

'Whatever you want, Kaoru,' Sano said. 'But I still say I was him, and when I get him, I'll make sure he…'

Kaoru's eyes widened as Sano mimed slitting his throat. She gulped. _I have to warn Kenshin to be careful! Sano seems really adamant on taking revenge! And when Sano wants something, he really goes ahead and gets it…_

'Listen, I'm going to check on Sayo now…care to come along?' he asked.

Kaoru smiled apologetically at him and shook her head. 'Sorry, but I'm expecting a rather important call,' she told him, and that was the truth; she was waiting for Saitoh to call about Hiko Seijuro. 'I really can't go with you.'

Sano shrugged. 'Suit yourself,' he said, and stood up. 'If the Captain asks about me, tell him I went to have some breakfast, ok?'

-

'Yes? This is Kaoru Kamiya speaking…who is it?'

'Hi, Kaoru,' came Saitou's voice on the other end.

'Saitou! Hi!' she exclaimed, sitting up straight in her chair. She had tensed up a bit when the phone rang because she never usually gets any calls at the office. She put down the file she had been looking through. She smiled. 'What? Miss me already?'

'You wish,' he replied, although she could make out a hint of a smile in his tone. She could hear him sorting out some files in the background. 'I'm just calling to give you the good news. I got you your guy.'

'Huh? No way! You managed to locate Seijuro already?' she said, surprised.

'Oh, I'm sorry, where you questioning my abilities?' Saitou said.

'Not really…but, I mean, two hours is certainly a record!!' she exclaimed. _So he is alive! I knew it! _she wanted to scream, but held herself back.

He chuckled. 'Well, okay; let's be modest. It's really not difficult to track down a guy who carries a sword around with him,' Saitou admitted. 'You were right, by the way, I managed to locate him in the car accidents' records.'

'Told you he was a drunk,' she said.

'Yeah, you did. You're a smart girl,' he teased her, and she laughed. 'So, okay, let me see…turns out that he does live in this city. Although, yes, he did live in Japan before. He only moved here two years ago.'

'Really? Wow, I can't believe my luck!' she exclaimed, happily. She drummed her fingers impatiently against her desk. 'Well, ok, can you send the information you managed to acquire to my fax number? Or you could just email them to me…'

'Ok, cool it, I'll email them to you in a sec,' he assured her.

'Thanks,' she said gratefully. 'Did I ever tell you that you're the greatest?'

'Yeah, yeah, I've heard that before,' he drawled. 'Now hang up so I could send the damned information to you.'

Kaoru laughed. 'I love you, you know that?' she said.

'Love you, too, Kaoru,' he replied. 'Now will you please hang up?'

'Hey, but before I do, I'm treating you to breakfast tomorrow, what do you say?' she asked.

'Sounds lovely,' he said. 'Now hang up before I start to lose my patience! I've got work to do, y'know!'

Laughing, Kaoru hung up the phone. She booted up her computer, entered the access password and logged onto her email. It was a few moments before Saitou sent her the email, and she quickly, but thoroughly, went through its contents. When she finished reading, a satisfied smile crept to her lips. 'Club Chartreuse, her I come,' she said softly.

-

Kaoru pulled down at the hem of her black minidress. She felt really uncomfortable in it, and was totally self-conscious that she was showing off a lot of skin in that outfit. She pulled on the leather jacket she had brought along and headed to the nightclub's entrance.

The muscled guard blocked her way into the club. 'ID,' he said tonelessly.

She would've showed him her FBI ID and gotten it over with, but she was going undercover, she didn't want anybody knowing whom she was. 'Uh…ok, here it is,' she said.

She took out her regular ID from her purse and handed it to the guard. She waited patiently while he checked the ID, his eyes constantly flicking from the photograph on the card to her face. Finally, he returned the card to her and stepped away to let her in.

'Thanks,' she said smiling, and walked past him into the club.

As soon as she stepped inside, she was hit by a full blast of music and laughter. She stood at the foot of the stairs, her eyes wandering over the place. She looked upon the dance floor and the tables which lay scattered around it, the old-fashioned bar, and the flight of stairs which probably lead to the more private booths…and sighed. How the heck was she going to find Hiko Seijuro in this mess? Ok, Saitoh had sent her a photograph of the guy along with the information, and the information clearly said that he hung at this club almost all the time, but the place was too crowded here, it will be difficult for her to find him.

_Ok, I'll first try the bar. That's the most likely place for him to be hanging around…I can't imagine a 43-year-old guy dancing to Rock, or upstairs smooching with some girl he had just met…Yeuch!!_

She went down the flight of stairs, and made her way to the bar, acting oblivious to all the whistles and stares she was earning due to her seducing attire. As she approached the bar closer, she spotted a long ponytail of black hair and smiled. She had located her target. Kaoru hopped onto the stool next to Hiko Seijuro, who was totally absorbed in his wine glass to notice her.

The bartender stepped up before her. 'Yes, miss? And what shall I get you tonight?' he asked.

Kaoru smiled. She was rather allergic to alcoholic drinks, and she didn't need her allergy hyping up at this moment. 'I'd like some orange juice, please,' she said.

'Non-alcoholic, huh?' the bartender said, smirking slightly.

'You got a problem with that?' she said, smiling.

'Nope, missy…' he said. 'I'll get you your drink.'

Kaoru tapped her fingers on the polished wooden surface as she waited for her drink. The bartender returned with the orange liquid moments later, and slid the glass before her. She paid him and sat there sipping at her drink.

'Another glass of Sake,' Hiko Seijuro said quietly before the bartender could walk away.

'Whatever you say, Hiko,' the bartender said, and handed him the Sake. 'Although, if you want my advice, which I'm sure you don't, I'd tell you to stop drinking and go home. You're down to your seventh glass this night.'

Kaoru saw Hiko giving the bartender an odd look, before the latter hurried off to get him his drink. 'You must hang around here a lot if you've reached the names-terms with the tender,' Kaoru said quietly, after making sure that they were well out of earshot.

Hiko glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. 'And how does that concern you?' he said.

'Frankly, it doesn't,' she replied, smiling. 'But I feel we have something to talk about, Hiko.'

'I don't know you,' he muttered.

'You don't need to know me,' Kaoru said dismissively. 'But I know you...Hiko Seijuro.'

He looked up and frowned at her. 'What do you want?' he said sharply.

Kaoru took another sip from her juice, while Hiko sat there staring at her. Kaoru took her time to reply; she was really enjoying this. 'Well, I believe we have a common person between us…I think you heard of the name Himura before?' she said quietly.

'I know no one with that name,' he said quickly…a bit too quickly.

Kaoru smiled triumphantly. 'Don't lie to me, Hiko…you don't want to mess with the FBI, do you?' she said quietly.

'What does the FBI have to do with this?' he asked sharply.

'Shh! Keep your voice down!!' she said urgently. Hiko fell silent, and touched the rim of the glass to his lips. He took a small gulp of the liquid, and put it down again. Kaoru watched him warily. 'Is there a private place where we could talk?'

'Um…I think the booths upstairs are private enough,' he murmured.

'Good, let's go now,' she said, slipping off her stool. Hiko finished off the Sake, and stepped down from his stool. Kaoru grabbed his arm and pulled him down so she could whisper in his ear. 'I have a gun in my purse, so don't you dare run away' she said.

At the mention of the word "gun", Hiko stiffened slightly and looked down at her. She just smiled sweetly up at him. They made their way towards the staircase, and climbed up to the second floor. They passed a descending couple on their way; the man's hair was completely messed up, and the woman looked like she was having a really bad hair day, not to mention her lipstick which was completely smeared right off.

'Well, Hiko, my man,' the man said drunkenly, while his eyes strayed to Kaoru. She could see him measuring her up, before he finally smirked. 'I see you've finally hit the jackpot; that's one heck of a babe you've got there.'

The woman giggled incoherently, and clutched at the man's arm. 'It's really fun up there,' she wheezed. 'Isn't it, Willy?'

Kaoru frowned at them, and Hiko's fists clenched. 'Shove off, Willy, I'm not in a friendly mood at the moment,' he muttered. They both burst out laughing, and Kaoru couldn't see any particular reason for that. Hiko gritted his teeth. 'Don't test my patience, alright?'

They both stopped laughing. They shot a frightened look at Hiko before hurrying down the stairs. Hiko sighed in exasperation, and continued up the stairs, with Kaoru right at his heels. He led her into a large spacious room with many booths lining the walls. The room was dimly lit, there were crimson curtains draped on each booth, and the whole place was painted crimson. There was also a soft music playing in the background, and the air smelled faintly of musk and lilac.

'Let's take the booth by that corner,' Kaoru whispered.

Hiko nodded, and they both headed to the booth, passing the other booths on the way. Kaoru giggled on hearing the _sounds_ from the couples within. Hiko pulled up the curtains for her, and she squeezed herself into the tiny booth. He went in after her, and sat across the small table from her.

'Ok, let's get straight to the point,' Kaoru said, once she had made herself comfortable. She had to stop herself from laughing as she watched Hiko's desperate attempts to settle down comfortably in the tiny bench. 'I know that you had once been the sensei of the Himura twins, you taught them the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu…am I correct?'

'Look, I don't have to tell you anything,' Hiko said. 'I don't even know you.'

Kaoru pulled out her FBI ID and stuck it under his nose. 'There, now you know me; you don't have any more excuses. I trust you'll be more cooperative now,' she said sweetly. Hiko Seijuro muttered something which sounded distinctly like a "yes". Kaoru smiled, and returned her ID to her purse. 'Now, back to my first question…am I correct?'

'Yeah, I used to be their sensei…' Hiko said.

Kaoru nodded. 'I also know that one of the twins...Shinta, to be precise, had tried to kill you,' she continued, as if she had been reading this from a draft. 'At least, he thought that he had killed you, that's what Kenshin told me.'

At the mention of Kenshin, Hiko's eyes widened and he gripped the edge of the table. 'Kenshin? Oh, God, is he still alive?' he demanded.

'Please your voice down,' she said. 'And yes, Kenshin is still alive, Shinta, too, is still alive, still killing people…but we'll talk about them later…now tell me, how'd you survive after Shinta slashed you? I was told that a slash from Shinta was pretty fatal.'

Hiko cringed. Kaoru could tell that he wasn't really comfortable with this interrogation. 'Well, I didn't really trust the lad, especially after he started learning the Battou-Jutsu,' he told her. 'I started wearing a shield beneath my clothes…'

_Just like the Captain. _'Well, if you didn't trust him, then why didn't you send him away or something?' she asked.

Hiko smiled shortly. 'Even though I didn't trust him, I kinda liked the kid; he was really good with swords, and was keen on learning every technique existing, I liked that about him,' he said, a small smile touching his lips. 'And you don't find that kind of people everyday'

'But he betrayed you,' Kaoru pointed out.

A look of anger crossed his face, but, yet, when he spoke, it was calm and collected manner that he did. 'Yes, he did,' he said quietly. 'Young Ken always warned me about his brother, but I wouldn't listen to him, I thought he was just jealous of Shinta's skills then.'

'What did you do after they had left?' Kaoru asked.

'I went into hiding,' Hiko said simply.

She blinked at him. 'Hiding?' she sputtered. 'But…why? Couldn't you have gone after them or told the police or…?'

'Go after them?' Hiko repeated, and laughed hoarsely. 'So I could get _killed_ again? No, sweetie, I value my life more than that…besides, it took me at least three weeks to recover from that blow, and they were long gone by then, and I couldn't go to the police because I knew that they wouldn't be able to capture Shinta, they've always tried but never succeeded.'

'But this doesn't make sense! You're the master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu!' she protested, slamming both hands against the surface of the table, angrily. 'You could've easily beaten Shinta!'

Hiko Seijuro shook her head. 'Not when he's mastered both the Amakakeru Ryu No Hirameki technique and Battou-Jutsu, too, I couldn't,' he told her, matter-of-factly. 'Just trying to attack him would be considered as suicide.'

'God! Are you all cowards?' she said, exasperated. 'Even Kenshin won't stand up to his brother!'

'So…how is Kenshin, anyway?' Hiko asked casually. 'Is he doing okay?'

'No, he's not doing okay,' Kaoru said sharply. 'And that's why I need your help.'

'Help?' Hiko repeated, frowning.

'Well, Shinta has everybody convinced that Kenshin is the one committing the murders…heck! Everybody's convinced that Kenshin is the only one who exists too!' Kaoru said angrily. 'Now, I've talked to Kenshin and he's told me everything, and I believe him…the question is, will others believe him?'

'And where exactly do I come in?' Hiko asked.

'Well, if anybody is to believe Kenshin, then we need solid proof, and I don't think Shinta's going to hang around as proof' she said. 'And since you've known them before and trained them both, I think you would be able to testify…' she said casually.

'What? No way!' Hiko cried.

'Be quite!' Kaoru hissed.

'You don't expect me to give a testimony, do you? I mean, what if you go to get Shinta and he escapes again? Won't he come back to get me? Don't you think he'll try to kill me again?' Hiko said. Kaoru opened her mouth to say something, but he held up a hand to silence her. 'Listen, ok? I've lived these past ten years in peace by keeping a low profile, Shinta doesn't know I still exist…if he did, he'd come and kill me right away…and giving a testimony…well, I assure you that after I do it, I won't live to see the next day.'

'So you are a coward,' Kaoru said coolly.

'I am not a coward,' Hiko said stiffly. 'But when somebody tries to kill you, you do get paranoid.'

'Paranoid?' Kaoru repeated, and he nodded. 'Isn't the word you're looking for scared? Listen, Hiko, I know you're probably worried, but did you think I'll be even sitting here in this tiny booth asking you to do this if I didn't know that you'd be safe?'

'Well…' he said.

Kaoru smiled patiently at him. 'You're working with FBI here, what more safeness and security could you ask for?' she demanded. 'And do you think I'll be running off to Shinta telling him it's you who had testified against him?'

'I…' he started.

'C'mon, Hiko, say you'll do it…if not for me, then do it for Kenshin,' Kaoru pleaded. 'You only have to say the truth, how hard can that be?'

'And you say I'll be perfectly safe?' Hiko said. Kaoru nodded vigurously, and he sighed. 'I'm sorry, I know I look like such a wimp, but I really don't want to run into my student on my way home, know what I mean?'

Kaoru nodded again. 'Yes, Hiko, you'll be perfectly safe,' she assured him. 'So, what do you say? I'll bring my officials and meet you here tomorrow night?'

Hiko pondered over this for a minute, but Kaoru could already tell that she'd managed to convince him. He finally admitted defeat and nodded his head. 'Alright, tomorrow, same place, I'll do it,' he agreed.

Kaoru smiled triumphantly; she was going to prove Kenshin innocent! She felt really pleased! 'Hey, can I ask one more question?' she asked, and he nodded again. 'Um...where is your sword? I heard that you always carried it around with me.'

'You really think they'd let me in with a sword?' he grunted. 'I left it at home.'

'Well, I think you should go back to carrying it…just in case,' she advised him.

-

Hiko Seijuro pulled his coat on and stepped out of the Chartreuse Club into the chilly night. He pushed his hands into his pockets and started walking; his car was in the repair works for the third time this month, he really had to get one soon.

_Damn! Did this club have to be so far away from civilization? Now I have to walk at least ten kilometers before I can find a cab!_

He thought about that little conversation he had had with that agent…what was her name again? Oh. Yes. Kaoru Kamiya. She wanted him to give a testimony to prove that Kenshin is innocent and Shinta was the one committing those murders. Truth was, he didn't want to do it, he has been able to keep his nose out of trouble for ten years…well, excluding the car accidents he made and the little arguments he had at the bar…but other than that, he was clean…and here she was, dragging him into trouble again…

_Oh, what the heck? At least I'll be safe with them FBI around…and if it helps Kenshin…_

He stopped when he heard a movement behind him. He slowly looked around, and frowned when he saw nobody. 'Who's there?' he called out.

His voice echoed in the night, but he didn't get any reply. Frowning again, he turned around and started to resume his path, but stopped before he could collide with the person who had suddenly appeared before him.

His eyes goggled as he got a clear view of that person. 'You!!' he cried.

'Miss me, sensei?' he said.

'What the hell do you want, you bastard?' Hiko hissed.

'Tsk, tsk, now, that's not what you taught us, is it, sensei?' he said, smiling coldly. 'But, well, I suppose you've forgotten everything, considering you've increased in age and been out of practice and everything…but don't worry, I've come to give you some lessons of my own.'

'What I need is to see you hanging from a rope like you're supposed to,' Hiko snapped. 'I don't need you or your stupid lessons.'

'That's a shame…' he said softly. 'Because, really, I'm more than willing to teach them to you.'

There was a soft whistle as a sword was unsheathed, and the blade gleamed against the moonlight. Hiko didn't react, and tried to keep his cool.

'Lesson number one…'

-

**A/N: Sooo, how did this chappie grab you? Did u like it? Was it good? I still can't believe I actually wrote that long a chappie…it's a record for me!! Anyway, wait for the eighth chappie next Wednesday…oh! And please review!**

**Oh, and does any of you know Cho's last name? I'm kinda lousy when it comes to names…**

_**- **S. N. B. _


	8. The First Day of the Christmas Break

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. All the characters belong to…uh…what was the name of the company again? **

**Hi!! I'm back with another chappie which I hope will satisfy everybody! But before you read, I'd like to clear some doubts. One; bars do offer juices; I once saw that in a sitcom. Two; after Hiko survived Shinta's attack, he stopped fighting altogether and stopped trying to fight altogether; he still kept the sword to remind him of the good old days, though. Three; I know Saitou doesn't resemble the original Saitou of the series, but this is the way I want him to be, so live with it…**

**Anyway, I've talked too much, now I'll leave you to read. ENJOY!!**

**CHAPTER 8: The first day of the Christmas Break**

Kaoru sat alone at the table, drumming her fingers against its surface while she hummed an old tune under her breath. She glanced at her watch. It was already 09 30; Saitou was 20 minutes late; that wasn't like him. She took a sip from the mug of coffee she had ordered and leaned back in her chair, frowning. She was about to take out her cell phone and dial him up when it started to ring. She smiled shortly as she saw his name on the screen. She hit the TALK button, and put the phone to her ear.

'Good morning, Saitou,' she said. And before he could reply, she got to the main point. 'You're late.'

Saitou sighed. 'Yes, yes, I know,' he mumbled. 'I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but I really can't come. Something really important came up; we've got a class A murder on our hands. A guy was found horribly slashed beside some nightclub called Club Chartreuse.'

Kaoru gasped. 'What? Club Chartreuse? Are you sure?' she demanded, earning herself looks from other breakfasters. Saitou grunted in reply. She chewed down on her bottom lip. 'Saitou, I went there last night to see that Hiko Seijuro guy...'

'Oh, my God,' Saitoh whispered. 'You think…?'

'I'm not sure, but I'm going to have to come and check, just the same,' she told him. 'If this body turns out to be Seijuro's, then it's FBI business as well. I'll just go and bring the Captain and meet you there, alright?'

'Hey, wait…' he said.

'Bye, Saitoh!!' she cut him off, and quickly ended the phone call.

She quickly paid for her coffee and rushed out of the café. She hurried to her car, unlocked it and climbed inside. She shifted her gear and pulled out of the parking lot in a hurry. Trying to focus on the road, she dialed up the Captain's number and tutted impatiently as she listened to the rhythmic tune of the phone ringing.

'Hello?' came the Captain's voice on the other end.

'Good morning, Captain,' Kaoru said, sounding slightly breathless.

'Ok, what is it, Kaoru?' he said. 'You only call me up when there's trouble around.'

Kaoru scowled. 'Yeah, ok…so there is trouble,' she muttered. 'Here's the deal, I've been doing some…uh, research on Himura and I found out that the guy who trained him on his swords fighting techniques is called Hiko Seijuro…I looked up on him and found he was staying here in the city…so I went to meet him.'

'What? Kaoru, why didn't you ask for permission first?' the Captain said angrily.

'I'm sorry, I forgot…but let me finish, ok?' she said impatiently. 'I went and met him at this nightclub and managed to convince him to give a testimony on Sh…Kenshin, he wouldn't agree at first because, apparently, Kenshin had tried to kill him before and doesn't want that to happen again.'

'What's the point of all this, Kaoru?' the Captain asked.

'I'm not done yet!!' Kaoru protested. 'Anyway, it was all settled, I was planning to take you so you could meet him today, but…well, Saitoh just called and told me there's been a murder in that club, and the body was cut and slashed and…'

'You think it's Hiko Seijuro, right?' the Captain interrupted her, and she sighed miserably. 'Kaoru Kamiya, how many times have I told you not to act of your own account? Really, your foolish acts…and I'm including Sano in this…are bound to bring down the Agency.'

'Can you please save the lecture till later?' Kaoru pleaded. 'I'm coming to pick you up so we can go to that club and check on the body.'

'Alright, Kaoru, but when we get back, you and I are going to have a long talk,' he said, and Kaoru hated the angry tone of his voice.

-

'Alright, Saitou, we're here,' Kaoru announced. 'Where's the body?'

Saitou looked around from the man he was questioning to her. 'You're late, they've already taken him away,' he said, and she swore loudly. Saitou's eyes flicked towards the Captain; he had always been intimidated by him, which gave Sano a good gloat every once in a while. 'Hello, Captain Sagara.'

'Hello, Saitou…I trust you're well?' the Captain said, politely, and Saitou nodded. 'Kaoru here filled me in on the details of this case on our way to the club. Now, I need you to tell me, is the guy's name Hiko Seijuro?'

'Yes, Captain Sagara, I'm afraid I'm going to have to confirm your doubts…it is Hiko Seijuro,' he said gravely.

Kaoru felt her breath being caught up in her throat. She swallowed hard. 'Are you sure? I mean, how did you know it was him? It could be some one else' she said rapidly. Even though she knew that Saitou couldn't be mistaken, it wasn't wrong to keep hoping.

Saitou smiled patiently at her. 'Yes, we're pretty sure, Kaoru,' Saitou said. 'It was on his ID.'

'Oh,' she murmured, and glanced at the Captain, who looked at her with something unmistakable for extreme anger. So Shinta found out and killed Hiko; that has got to be it. Oh, what had she done? She had promised Hiko that he was going to be safe, but look where that got him. Kaoru felt really guilty.

The Captain placed a firm hand on Kaoru's shoulder. 'We'll leave you to your questioning, Saitou…now if you'll excuse me, I need to have a word alone with Kaoru,' he said quietly, before turning her around and leading her away from Saitou.

'Captain, I'm really sorry,' she whispered.

The Captain rounded on her. Kaoru shrank back when she saw how angry he was. 'Sorry?' he repeated. 'What's that going to do? Will it bring Seijuro back? You know, this is precisely the kind of behavior that could land a person dead!'

'I'm sorry! I acted carelessly, I admit it! And I'm really sorry!!' she said.

'Kaoru, a man died because of your carelessness,' he told her. 'I always warned you that something like this might happen one day…'

'But, Captain! I was only working on the report, just like you wanted me!' Kaoru insisted; this wasn't fair. She had just been doing her job. Okay, so Seijuro died and she admitted that she had been wrong...so why was he yelling at her. 'And I was really making progress, Hiko was going to give a testimony and…'

'Don't give me excuses,' he said sharply. 'You know it's your fault…we exist to protect the innocent, we have to be careful when it comes to handling people's lives…it's not a game.'

'I know it's not,' Kaoru said dully.

'Then you should've known better than to do what you did,' the Captain said. 'You should've at least come and told me…or you could've stationed somebody to keep a close watch on Hiko Seijuro…or maybe you should've paid attention to anyone following you…'

'But I was paying attention!!' she persisted, and that was the truth; she had kept her guard all the while when she was with Hiko. 'Nobody was following me, I'm pretty sure of that!!'

'That doesn't help us now, does it?' he said quietly. He sighed and shook his head. 'I'm sorry, Kaoru, but I'm afraid I'll have to take this report from you…and I'm also suspending you temporarily from work until further notice.'

Kaoru stared at him, her eyes wide. 'You're suspending me?' she said hoarsely, and he nodded solemnly. 'But you can't do that! You can't just go ahead and suspend me like that!'

'Kaoru, you must understand that I can't let this pass by unpunished,' the Captain told her. 'I'm afraid I'll have to, Kaoru, it's for your own good. You do understand that, don't you?'

Kaoru, still staring at him, took a step back. 'You know, Captain, if you'd known the whole truth and still gone and suspended me, I would've hated you,' she said in a flat tone. 'It's just that...you're the one who doesn't understand. You don't understand at all.'

-

'Oh! Hi, Kaoru!! I was waiting for you!!'

Kaoru stopped midway inside the door. She had been expecting to come back to a quiet, empty apartment, and seeing that Misao was there frankly disappointed her. She had really wanted some time alone. 'Misao? What are you doing here?' she asked. 'Don't you have classes today?'

Misao frowned. 'Kaoru, the Christmas break starts today, remember?' she said, sounding puzzled. 'Is everything ok? You look kinda pale.'

'What? Oh, no! Everything's fine,' she said quickly. She spotted Kenny in her arms. 'How's Kenny doing?'

'Oh, he's fine…I was up teaching him some tricks!' Misao said happily, and Kaoru couldn't help but smile. Misao gave her a disapproving look. 'Um…listen, this might not be any of my business, but…you haven't got Kenny any kitty stuff yet.'

'Oh, yeah…I've been planning to do some shopping, but I've been really busy lately,' Kaoru said.

'You know, Kaoru, you shouldn't have bought him if you can't find time to take care of him,' Misao remarked.

Kaoru was about to tell her that she hadn't bought him herself but she caught herself just in time. 'Don't be silly, Misao, of course I can take care of him…it's just that we had this tough case, and it was taking up a lot of time…but it's over now,' she said, laughing lightly. Misao continued to look doubtfully at her. 'As a matter of fact, I'm ready to go shopping now! Care to come along?'

Truth was, she wasn't ready to go shopping…she was ready to slump down on her bed and sleep and never wake up…but Misao looked suspicious, and Kaoru couldn't have that. The, Misao smiled, and Kaoru breathed out in relief. 'Ok, let's go do some shopping!!' she exclaimed.

In a few minutes, they had packed up Kenny, took Kaoru's car, and headed to the nearest mall. Misao's features brightened as they stood before the mall. 'I'll make sure you get the best for Kenny, I've had a kitten once and I know everything they need…' she said dreamily, and glanced hastily at Kaoru. '…provided you carry lots of cash around.'

Kaoru laughed. 'Don't worry, I'm armed and ready,' she assured her.

'Well, then, what are we waiting for? Let's hit the mall!' Misao said.

They walked into the mall. Kaoru stood for a moment admiring all the Christmas decorations which had been hung around; from thick silver streamers and holy shrubs, to stuffed Santa Claus dolls, beautifully wrapped presents, Christmas trees…before Misao grabbed her arm and pulled her into a nearby store.

Misao seemed to be having lots of fun dragging Kaoru around through pet stores and stores which sold pet supplies, while the latter had to bear with Kenny's continuous attempts to break out of her grip. Finally, Misao took him off her hands as she bent to examine some rubber toys. There were different kind of shapes and colors; you had your ordinary multicolored balls and everything, but along with that came rubber mice, rubber ducks, rubber birds, rubber everything…

Kaoru loads of fun picking out the toys, and turned around to show Misao what she had picked, but frowned when she didn't see her there. Assuming that she was waiting outside or something, Kaoru got three bags of differently flavored cat food, paid for her purchases and left the store. She looked around for Misao, but she couldn't make out the short black hair with the long ponytail any where. She was about to start calling for her when she spotted her running towards her, Kenny held tightly in her arms.

'Where'd you go?' Kaoru asked, frowning slightly.

Misao grinned. 'Well, I took Kenny outside and saw this pet supply store…I went in there and found this adorable looking collar for Kenny!!' she said, excitedly.

She held up the black kitten for her, and Kaoru leaned forward to examine the brown collar around Kenny's neck. She had to admit that the collar was cute, even though it was quite simple. It was made of ordinary brown leather, and it had a tiny iron buckle coated with a beautiful shade of titanium.

'It's really nice, Misao!' she gushed. 'Oh, thank you!'

'Don't mention it,' Misao replied. 'Now let's go have something to eat, all this shopping made me hungry.'

-

Kaoru slammed her door shut, threw all her shopping bags to the floor, and flung herself down on the bed. She was exhausted; four hours at the mall with Misao had completely drained her out of energy…yet, Misao had remained quite energetic and hyper…her mouth going a mile a minute as they walked from one store to another. She pulled her cushion and hugged it her chest, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened her eyes, a black folder on her nightstand caught her attention.

_That's Kenshin's folder!!_

Suddenly, it all came back to her. The shopping spree had drawn her mind away from the past events, but now she recalled everything…Kenshin's past, talking to Hiko, Hiko murdered…She suddenly froze. _Kenshin must've heard about Hiko's murder; Shinta would've told him everything by now…I wonder what he thinks? Does he blame me for it too?_

Kaoru swallowed hard. She suddenly felt like she needed to see Kenshin and talk to him. She needed to tell him that she was only trying to help, that she didn't mean to harm anyone…and maybe, just maybe he'll listen to her. But where could she go see him?

She didn't have his phone number, fax number, address, nothing…so where the heck will she find him? She sighed in disappointment. She glanced at the folder again. If the Captain was going to get her off the case, she will…but she won't get off her own private case; proving that Shinta existed. But now that Hiko was gone, she needed another source of information. Suddenly, her face lit up as she remembered something, and she almost cursed herself for not remembering earlier.

Yes; this might be the answer to her problem. With any luck, she'll be able to get all the information she needed…and maybe she'll know where Kenshin is staying…

-

The Red Boar.

Kaoru looked up at the wooden board across which the name of the pub was painted below a painting of a boar, which was suspended from an iron bar and kept swinging with the wind. The Red Boar was one of the most famous hangouts for the underground community; Saitou had told her that once and had warned her from going in there alone. All kinds of criminals came to this pub; down from the clumsiest thief to the professional assassin. Kaoru had once wondered why the police won't raid the place and jail everyone in there, and Saitou was ready with a bitter answer; they didn't have proof on any of the crimes.

"Innocent until proven guilty" he had said.

Saitou had also told her about the females who roamed around there; drunk females with heavy-lidded eyes, enough make-up to suit the needs of a high-class fashion show, sleazy outfits which wouldn't have made that much difference if they had come without them…

Kaoru looked down at her own dress; it was the same one she had worn the other day to Club Chartreuse. It wasn't sleazy, but she hoped it was good enough to fit the crowd in there.

She pushed the heavy wooden door open, and stepped inside.

The first thing she noticed…or rather, felt…about the place was that it was hot and humid…she could already feel beads of sweat starting to form on her skin. She let the door swing shut behind her. She went down the narrow flight of steps and walked onto what seemed to her like the most crowded, filthiest, most foul smelling place she had ever been too.

The place was small, with round tables lining the walls. The tables clearly looked like they had been set up for two or three people, but around each table crowded at least six men, and almost each one had a woman seated on his lap. The walls were dirty, with long smears of soot…and to her horror, spots of blood across what used to be a whitewashed wall. A strong odor of wine and beer and tobacco hung in the air, mixed with the equally strong ladies perfume, and…to her disgust…sweat, and she felt like she couldn't breathe.

This was certainly nothing like the fancy nightclub she had been to last night.

The place which had been rowdy and noisy when she had first stepped in was filled immediately with an instant hush, and she was all too aware that she had every pair of eyes on her. Kaoru swallowed hard. She held up her head and walked in between the tables till she got to the bar. She sat on the furthest edge of the bar, away from all the guys with the red-rimmed, bloodshot eyes and the foul-smelling breathe.

The bartender, an extremely pretty female with short black hair, noticed the silence which had engulfed the place. She smiled jovially and clapped her hands together. 'It's alright, people, nothing to see!' she chirped. 'Just continue what you were doing! Nothing happened!!'

One by one, the people in the pub looked away from her and returned to their conversations, tankards and smoochies. Kaoru sighed in relief. She smiled up at the bartender when the latter came up before her. 'Thanks,' she said.

The girl picked up a glass and started cleaning it with a rug. 'It's ok, hon…those people just aren't used to seeing new people around, y'know, they think the place is theirs or something,' she said, chuckling softly. 'Ok, so what do I get you?'

'Uh, nothing, thanks, I'm here to see Kamatari, he was supposed to meet me somewhere and he didn't show up and…' she said. Her voice trailed off as the woman started laughing. Kaoru frowned at her; did she say something wrong? Did she ruin her cover already? 'Why are you laughing?'

'You're saying you came here to see Kamatari?' the woman wheezed, clutching her side.

'Yeah…' Kaoru said, slowly.

'Hon, I'm Kamatari,' the woman said.

Kaoru stared at her. _Kamatari is a girl? No! Wait! That's not possible! Saitou told me it was a guy!!! _Nevertheless, she kept her cool. 'Are you trying to be funny?' she said. 'Kamatari, my dear, is a he…and you are a she, so you can't possibly be him.'

'But I am him, my dear,' the bartender said, still laughing. 'You were just fooled by my extremely good looks.'

Kaoru's eyes bulged. No man can be this handsome!!

'And as far as I know, I didn't have to meet you anywhere…I've never even seen you before!' he said. 'So, you'd better tell me what's behind you, missy.'

Kaoru gulped. Her cover was totally blown away. She made a mental note to kill Saitou if she ever got out of here. 'Alright, Kamatari…' she said, slowly. 'Yes, you're right, you didn't fall for my little lie…but I still came here to see you.'

'Well, I'm here, my sweet…what do you want?' he asked.

'I want some information,' she said quietly.

'Information concerning what?' he asked.

'You ever heard of the name Himura?' she said, even more quietly.

At the mention of Himura, Kamatari's eyes narrowed slightly and he frowned questioningly at her; what did a girl like her want with the most wanted assassin in the country? He glanced around the room for a moment before resting his eyes back on her. 'Follow me' he murmured.

Kaoru nodded and slipped off her stool. She stepped up behind the bar and followed Kamatari in through a wooden bar into an old-fashioned room. The room had chintz chairs and comfortable-looking sofas; they were all maroon and crimson. But the place was certainly a lot more cleaner and brighter than the place on the other side of the door. A girl was resting on one of the sofas, but she straightened up when Kamatari and Kaoru stepped into the room.

'Rika, take my place for a while, will you?' he said. The girl nodded, and got up to her feet. She left the room and shut the door behind her, but not before fixing Kaoru with a suspicious stare. Kamatari crossed over to a chair and plopped down on it. He beckoned to Kaoru to have a seat. 'So, what do you want with Himura?'

Saitou had told her about the bar, but he had also told her about the manager who was much like an enormous database containing information and details about almost every criminal in the country. Whenever Saitoh wanted information, he would come and badger Kamatari for them. He also mentioned that a bit of cash did wonders with the guy; it freshens his memory and sets his mouth to work a mile a minute.

Kaoru smiled. 'You don't have to concern yourself with details and reasons, you just tell me all that you know about Himura and we'll both be satisfied,' she said in a business-like tone.

'Really? Well, I'm sorry, but that doesn't sound like such a great deal to me,' Kamatari said. 'And what the hell does a sweet-lookin' girl like you want with a guy like Himura?'

'What I want with him is none of your business,' she said coolly.

Kamatari sighed. 'Listen here, missy, no information from you means no information from me, okay?' he said. 'I like to know what's my information gonna be used for…my life insurance doesn't cover murder, y'know.'

'How do I know that you won't go rushing out to Himura the instance I leave?' she asked.

'Hello?! Haven't you been listening? The guy would kill me, and I value my life, thank you very much,' he snapped.

Kaoru didn't say anything. She just looked at Kamatari. Should she trust him? Should she tell him about her identity? No, wait, what was she thinking? She can't trust him; she's barely known him for five minutes and she was already intending to trust him? No, she couldn't tell him; she had to come up with a story or something. But what? What could she possibly come up with in a few minutes and will actually make him believe her?

'Tic toc, tic toc,' Kamatari said. 'C'mon, I don't have all day, you know.'

Should she mention that she knew Saitoh? He told her that Kamatari was scared of him, so maybe he'll give her respect if she told him she was Saitou's friend. 'Saitou sent me to you,' she told him pleasantly.

'Saitou?' Kamatari repeated. 'You mean Saitou Hajime? What the hell does he want from me now?'

_Okay…that wasn't such a good start… _'Well, actually, we're working on a case and it concerns Himura, and we are kinda short of information, and we know that you know a lot about criminals and stuff, so…' she said.

'Did Saitou tell you that I don't offer my services for free?' Kamatari said, smirking.

'Yeah, he did,' she replied, scowling at him. 'How much do you want?'

'How much are you carrying?' he asked.

'Just tell me a value and get over with it,' she hissed.

'Well, I'll take 300 bucks for starters,' Kamatari said.

'300?' she repeated, her eyes wide. She heaved an enormous sigh and reached out for her purse. 'Oh, I didn't expect that I'm going to have to pay this much. I wonder what Saitou'll say when I tell him I gave you this much money for information; I think he'll be really angry.'

He scowled at her. 'You aren't planning to let this go smoothly, are you?' he said. Kaoru just smiled sweetly. 'Fine, I'll take 200 bucks, no less.'

'Agreed,' she said.

'I'll need my money before hand,' Kamatari told her, his eyes narrowed, when she made no move to take out money from her purse.

Kaoru sighed in exasperation. She pulled a wad of cash out of her pocket and peeled a hundred dollars note from it. She hung it out in front of his face. 'Here's your money,' she said.

Kamatari reached out and took the money from her. He frowned at the single note he was holding. He scowled at her. 'Hey! This is just a hundred!' he protested.

'I know,' Kaoru said, calmly. 'You'll get the other hundred after you've given me the information…I don't trust you, you know.'

'Well, aren't you sweet?' he muttered. He took out his wallet and placed the note inside it. He placed his wallet back in his pocket and leaned back in his seat, arms folded against his chest. 'Ok, so what do you want to know?'

'Well, how about you tell me where his current location is?' she asked, leaning back in her seat.

'Hmm…current location, huh? Starting off big, aren't you?' he said. 'Well, Kenshin doesn't stick to one place, he keeps switching all the time…last time I heard about him I was told that he's in some warehouse area now.'

Kaoru felt disappointed; she already knew that. 'I know that he's been staying at a warehouse. We...the FBI busted that place up a few days ago,' she told him, and Kamatari looked at her with keen interest. She quickly waved a dismissive hand. 'Ok…does Kenshin have any partners that you know off? I heard he deals with drugs…where does he get those from?'

'Partners? Well, all the partners he's ever worked with are now in jail…or in some graveyard,' he told her. 'Kenshin deals with a person only once, and then he disposes of him…either by sending him to jail or killing him. That's how he works.'

'What about the thieves and bank robbers he hires? Or the guards he keeps around him? What does he do with those? Kill them too?' she asked.

'No, I don't think so…' Kamatari said slowly. 'What I've heard is that they're forced into his bidding under continuous threats…rumors say he has their families on the edge of his sword…whenever someone disobeys him, he goes and kills his family.'

Kaoru winced. How can Kenshin put up with such a brother and take the blame for everything? She'd go crazy if she were him! 'So what you're saying is there's no way of getting the guy?' she said. 'There's just no possible way of finding him?'

'Well, in a manner of speaking, yes,' he said, pleasantly.

Kaoru sighed. This really wasn't getting her anywhere. Shinta set a dead end for her every time she thought she made progress. She hated that.

-

Kaoru was back in her car and was on her way home. She felt really tired and all she could think of right now was the cozy blankets and cushions of her bed.

She had continued questioning Kamatari for about forty other minutes. She asked him about Kenshin's past, in hope of knowing where he got his scar, but with no success. She asked about the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu technique, she asked about Kenshin's sensei, about the crimes he's ever committed…but none of the information Kamatari gave her was of any help. Most of what he said she had heard before from Kenshin, or had read it in the files.

Suddenly, a car horn blared beside her and she jumped. She looked out of her window at the guilty car and its driver. She squinted in the dark to make out the driver's features. 'Saitou!! What are you doing here?' she asked, surprised.

'I should be asking you the same question,' he replied. 'Pull over so we an talk.'

Kaoru nodded, and she pulled up by the sidewalk. Saitou pulled up into the empty space before her. Then he climbed out and walked towards her car. He leaned in through the window. Kaoru noticed he was smoking; an old habit.

'Hi,' he said, smiling.

'Hi,' she replied. She reached out and pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and put it out in the garbage dispenser in her car. 'Smoking's bad for your health. Besides, when you smoke, you don't get a kiss from me.'

Saitoh smiled. 'So…what are you doing in this neighborhood?' he asked, gesturing around.

'I was just visiting a friend,' she lied. 'I take this route as a shortcut…what about you?'

He grimaced. 'Oh, I'm just on the daily patrol,' he answered. His expression softened and he stroked her cheek affectionately. 'Hey, I heard about the Captain suspending you and everything...how're you feeling?'

She smiled brightly. 'Oh, I'm quite well actually,' she said. She punched the air with her fist. 'I'm not going to allow the Captain to bring me down, I'll show him!!'

Saitoh laughed. 'That's the spirit!' he said. He smiled again. 'Hey, what are you doing this Christmas?'

'Nothing special,' she said. 'You?'

'Well, I'm going out with a beautiful lady to a fancy restaurant,' he said, matter-of-factly. 'On one condition, though…'

Kaoru raised her eyebrows slightly. 'Oh, really? And what's that?' she asked.

'This fine lady will say yes as I ask her now,' Saitoh told her.

Kaoru smiled and blushed faintly. 'Sure, Saitoh…I'll go with you, she said softly. 'I'd love to.'

Saitou smiled at her. 'Do I get my kiss now?' he asked her hopefully. Kaoru laughed. She leaned forward through her window and kissed him. 'You're an angel. Well, I hate to split but I have to get over with my patrol now.'

'Ok' she said.

'Good night,' he said, and straightened up. 'Sweet dreams.'

'Good night to you, too,' she said.

She watched him as he walked to his car. She frowned slightly as she saw him light up another cigarette before getting in; he'll never quit. She only pulled out onto the road when he had driven away. On her way home, she passed the park where she had met Kenshin a couple of times before, and then a sudden idea struck her. _What if Kenshin was in there?_

She screeched to a halt before the park's gate. She looked out her window into the park, her hands gripping the stirring wheel. _Kenshin could be here…he already came here before, so there might be a possibility…and maybe…just maybe…he came here tonight in hopes of seeing me…confronting me about Hiko…_

Kaoru shut down the engine and climbed out of her car. She walked up to the gates, pushed them open and stepped into the empty park. She walked briskly towards the angel fountain. Any moment now, she might see some movement beside the fountain…any moment now…

But when she got to the fountain and didn't find him there, she felt her heart sink with disappointment. Oh, well…at least she tried. She turned around on her heels and started to head back to the gate.

'Kaoru-dono,'

Kaoru froze. She slowly looked around, and when she saw who it was, she almost screamed for joy. 'Kenshin!' she said, trying not to sound too happy and excited.

Kenshin smiled. 'Good evening, Kaoru-dono,' he said softly.

'Hi! I was really hoping I'd get to see you here!' she exclaimed, and he nodded. There was a brief moment in which neither of them said anything, before Kaoru finally looked away from him. 'I suppose you heard about what happened?'

'Yeah, I did,' he said.

'I…I'm really sorry, Kenshin…I didn't mean for that to happen; I just wanted to help you,' she said, feeling ashamed. Kenshin didn't say anything, and Kaoru chanced a look up at him. He wasn't smiling his usual smile, and that made her feel guiltier than she already felt. 'I really wanted to help, Kenshin! I thought that if I found Hiko and got him to testify about Shinta, all your problems would be solved and you would be free again!! Honest!'

Kenshin shook his head slightly and slumped down on a nearby bench. 'You know what hurts more?' he said quietly, and she shook her head. 'All this time I've lived with the fact that sensei was dead, and I've come to accept it... but now, it turns out that he was alive…and then Shinta went and killed him again…I don't think I can live through that again…it was hard the first time…'

'I…I'm really sorry, Kenshin,' she said softly.

Kenshin looked up and smiled at her. 'Don't be sorry, it's not your fault…you didn't tell Shinta to go and kill him,' he said. He sighed. 'I'm the one who should be blamed…if I had kept a close eye on Shinta yesterday, then I would've known his intentions and at least warned the sensei…'

'Kenshin, this has to stop,' Kaoru said firmly. 'If you'll just let me tell the police…'

'No!!' he shouted, and Kaoru's eyes widened in alarm. 'Kaoru-dono, you promised! You mustn't tell anybody!'

'But, Kenshin! He killed your sensei! You can't let him about killing people like that!' Kaoru pointed out.

'I know, Kaoru-dono…don't you think I've tried? What happened then is that Shinta blew up the entire police station and everybody died…I can't risk something like that happening again…and what if he came after you?' he told her, and Kaoru frowned at him. 'I…I don't know why, but he's threatened to come after you several times. I don't want you to get hurt, Kaoru-dono…'

'Kenshin…' she said softly, sitting down next to him. 'I'm really thankful for your care, but…'

'Kaoru-dono, that's all what I'm asking for…please,' he said, turning around so he would face her. Kaoru looked at him for a moment, and then her shoulders slumped, admitting defeat. Kenshin smiled at her. 'Thank you.' He fell silent for a moment. 'Kaoru-dono? I was wondering…well, what are you doing this Christmas?'

That question took Kaoru by surprise; she really hadn't seen that coming. 'I…I…nothing,' she stuttered, her date with Saitoh completely forgotten. 'I'm doing nothing.'

'Well, I…uh…would you care to join me this Christmas?' he said, and cleared his throat. 'Would you go out with me?'

Kaoru stared at him, momentarily shocked. 'Go out with you?' she repeated, blankly.

Kenshin looked away. 'Of course you wouldn't want to go out with me,' he muttered. 'I shouldn't have asked in the first place.'

Kaoru touched his shoulder. 'No, I didn't mean that!' she said quickly. 'I was just taken by surprise, that's all.'

He chanced a look back at her. 'So you mean to say that…?' he said, his voice trailing off.

'Sure, I'll go out with you,' she said, smiling. 'It's only my pleasure.'

Kenshin grinned and his eyes twinkled with merriment. 'You know what, Kaoru-dono? You're an angel,' he told her.

Kaoru laughed. 'Thanks,' she said.

She suddenly paused. Saitoh had told her the exactly same thing when she had agreed to go out with him. She gulped. Her date with Saitoh and her date with Kenshin were on the exact same day!! What should she do? She glanced at Kenshin; should she cancel out the date now? But he looked so happy, and she didn't want to take that happiness away from him. But what about Saitoh? Wouldn't he be hurt? Yes; Saitoh wasn't the romantic type, but he had feelings! So, what was she going to do? Who was she going to pick?

'Kaoru-dono, what's wrong?' he asked, concerned.

She tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear and smiled nervously at him. 'Nothing, I'm fine' she said. 'Hey, Kenshin? How can I tell you and Shinta apart? I mean, you're identical…you look the same, and you even have the same scar.'

'No, we don't,' Kenshin said. He leaned forward towards her, and for a moment, Kaoru thought he was going to kiss her, but he reached out and grabbed her hand. Slowly he brought it up to his face and placed it upon his cross-shaped scar. Kaoru shuddered slightly as she felt the carvings caused by undoubtedly horrible events, and she looked questioningly at Kenshin. 'My scar is real, Shinta's is fake.'

'Huh? Fake?' she repeated.

'Yes, fake. Shinta doesn't have a scar…he has one plastered on his cheek, it's not real,' he told her, and chuckled. 'We have to be identical, remember? It won't do him any good if anybody saw him without the scar, right?'

She nodded. Kenshin let go of her hand, and it dropped back onto her lap. He stood up, and Kaoru looked up at him. 'Well, Kaoru-dono, I should be gone now' he said. 'Mustn't let Shinta miss me that much'

'Uh-huh,' she said. 'Ok, good night.'

Kenshin smiled. He leaned down so that his face was in level with hers, and gently kissed her cheek. She blushed a deep shade of crimson. 'Good night, Kaoru-dono,' he said softly, before turning on his heels and walking away, leaving Kaoru in her dilemma; who was she to choose? Saitou? Or Kenshin?

**-**

**A/N: Ok, that was it; my eighth chapter…so, was it any good? I really hope it was. I'm ready to hear your comments, so don't hesitate to send them. Oh, and a lot of you had been telling me to use the " " quotations…but I prefer to use the ' ' ones because it's much faster this way…pressing the Shift button is too much of a hassle…yeah, I'm lazy, so sue me…**

**Wait for chapter nine!!**

_**- **S. N. B. _


	9. Of Crimson Blood and Mistletoe

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…or any anime, to be exact…sigh!**

**Sorry I couldn't update earlier, but I had some exams and I was neck deep in notes and thick books…I still have exams in the next couple of weeks, so it's going to be really difficult for me to update every week…anyway, I'll leave you to read my ninth chappie with a little hint…or clue…or whatever you prefer to call it…"Some things are not what they seem in this chappie", got that well? If so, then read on and enjoy!!**

**CHAPTER 9: Of Crimson Blood and Mistletoe**

The wooden jewelry box which was encrusted with jewels had been passed on through generations. It had beautiful carvings on its surface and was coated with real jewels and rubies of various colors which sparkled ominously in the light. The family treasure held inside was equally beautiful.

Kaoru lifted the lid of the box and uncovered the lovely pair of earrings and the beautiful locket held within. Both the locket and the earrings were in the shape of a tear-drop, and each teardrop was pure diamond. They had belonged to her mother, and her mother before her, and so on…

As a kid, Kaoru used to open the box and sit admiring the jewelry for a long while, until her mother would come and shoo her out of the room. And when her mother died, her father handed the box over to her.

'Take care of it,' he had said.

Kaoru thought it was kind of sad, though. The passing of the jewelry box was like a sign; a sign that another female from her mother's side of the family had died. But that didn't take away any of the diamonds' beauty…in fact, Kaoru thought it added to its charm and splendor. She picked up the locket by its platinum chain, lifted up her hair and pulled the chain around her neck. She buckled it and stood to study its effect in her bureau mirror. Then she picked up both of the earrings and clipped them to her ear.

Christmas had arrived, bringing along a fresh shower of snow which had greeted them in the early hours of the morning. Kaoru was up all day long receiving and sending greetings to her co-workers and friends (including Captain Sagara, who had called and wished her a Merry Christmas, told her she can resume her work at the office by the start of the New Year, and he also told her that he had pulled up extreme measures in hopes of capturing Kenshin, which made her feel all worried about Kenshin), not to mention the long session where she sat unwrapping the satisfying pile of gifts beside the Christmas tree she and Misao had set up and decorated.

Surprisingly though, Misao hadn't received a single phone call all day long, let alone a present. The only present she had received was from Kaoru; she got her a silver bracelet. And when Kaoru questioned her about that, Misao only laughed and said, "Thanks for your concern, Kaoru, but I already exchanged gifts with my friends at the start of the Christmas break…and Aoshi's probably going to give me his gift when he takes me out tonight…and all my friends ringed me up on my cell phone, they're all intimidated by you"

Kaoru thought that was silly; why should they be intimidated by her? For goodness sake, she wasn't scary!!

Kaoru stepped up before her full-length mirror and checked up upon her attire. She was wearing an aquamarine gown, which hugged her body tightly to her knees, and then stretched out and pooled around her feet. A satin shawl of the same color was draped across her shoulders, and a silver comb pulled up her hair a little, letting the rest fall back onto her shoulder in the perfect curls she had spent the entire last hour doing.

She looked beautiful, not too slinky or desperate, just perfect.

She sighed at the prospect of her date. She was going out with Kenshin, not Saitou. This didn't require her decision, it was just that she wasn't left with any other choice; Saitou had called her up in the afternoon and cancelled their date, apologizing over and over again and explaining about that body of a girl one fisherman hooked up in his net, and that he was assigned to check out her identity and everything, and to try and locate her family and all that. He also promised he was going to make it up to her the next day. But Kaoru had just started shouting at him and hung up in his face in a wave of fury. She didn't answer any of the phone calls which followed this, she knew she would start shouting all over again and she didn't want that; she had promised herself not to get too worked up on Christmas. But she did accept the bouquet of red roses and the wonderful golden locket that he had sent her.

Much as she was ashamed to admit it, Kaoru was kinda thankful that Saitou had cancelled out, because until the phone call, she still wasn't quite decided on whom she should go out with, and the phone call was like an answer to her unspoken prayers. It was much like "Saved by the Bell", except this one was "Saved by the Phone Ringing". She hated it when she had to make decisions, and especially decisions in such critical situations. But she was still disappointed in Saitoh for canceling out their date.

Just then, the slender feline figure of Kenny slipped through the open crack of her door and padded up to her. He sat back on his hind legs and looked up at her with his big green eyes, as if asking, "Why are you so dressed up tonight?"

Kaoru smiled. She bent down and stroked him behind his ears. 'I'm meeting Kenshin today…want me to pass on a message, Kenny?' she asked, softly. The cat blinked and meowed softly. Clearly, it hadn't understood a word of what Kaoru had said. A sudden squeal made Kaoru jump a bit and caused the hairs on Kenny's back to stand up. Kaoru looked up and saw Misao standing in the doorway, hands clutching her cheeks. 'Er…is there something wrong, Misao?'

Misao shook her head, hands still clutching her cheeks and big turquoise eyes shining. 'No,' she said. 'It's just that you look amazing in this dress!!'

Kaoru laughed. 'Why, thank you, Misao,' she said. 'That's very nice of you to say.'

'No, really, you look really beautiful!' Misao insisted. 'Your date's gonna flip head over heels when he sees you!'

Kaoru giggled as an image of Kenshin flipping over projected in her mind, and found that it wasn't likely to happen any time soon. 'Oh, I really dunno about that,' she replied. 'So, when's Aoshi picking you up?'

'Um…he told me he's gonna be here by ten o'clock,' she replied.

Kaoru frowned. 'Isn't that a bit late?' she asked.

Misao shrugged. 'Aoshi's been really busy lately, he's studying a lot, doing so many reports, running the university paper…' she said, counting them off her fingers. Her happy expression drooped slightly. 'I'm only glad he found some time to spend with me.'

'Oh,' Kaoru said.

Misao perked up again. 'What about you? When's your the lucky guy picking you up?' she asked.

Kaoru sighed. 'I dunno…he was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago…he's late,' she mumbled, mentally cursing herself for not asking for Kenshin's number when he had last called here to tell her when he was going to pick her up.

'Don't you have his number or something so you could call him?' Misao asked.

'No…I…um, lost it,' she lied lamely.

'Oh…' Misao said, a frown creasing her brow. Then, the door bell rang, and she grinned. 'That must be him!!'

'Yeah…' Kaoru said slowly. She felt her heart beat furiously against her chest; what was wrong with her? This was just like any other date! _No, _her rational mind intercepted. _This wasn't like any normal date; this is a date with Kenshin, a guy known to be an assassin…if you get seen with him you're busted…_

'Aren't you going to open the door?' Misao asked.

'Yes, yes…' Kaoru said distractedly, picking up her purse from the bed. 'I am.'

Misao grinned. 'Well, then, have a good time,' she said, and picked up Kenny from the floor. 'I'll be in my room with Kenny.'

Misao walked out of the room, Kenny held tightly in her arms. Kaoru took one last look at the mirror before leaving the room. She took slow, steady steps towards the door. She opened it just as Kenshin pressed on the bell again. 'Hi,' she said, rather breathlessly.

Kenshin let his hand fall down to his side and he grinned rather sheepishly. 'Hello,' he said politely, before taking a _very_ good look at her; he was literally goggling. 'May I comment on how beautiful you look this evening, Kaoru-dono?'

'Thank you,' she said, blushing.

'Not that you aren't beautiful all the time, it's just that…' he added quickly. He blushed. 'Well, you know what I mean.'

Kaoru laughed. 'Yes, I know what you mean,' she said. She studied his attire and was a bit disappointed to see that he had come in his usual black clothes to their date. 'You don't look bad yourself.'

Kenshin seemed to realize what she was getting at, and he hung his head. Then he looked up again, smiling softly. He took out a long thin box from behind his back and held it out for her. 'I hope you like it,' he murmured.

'Oh, Kenshin! You shouldn't have!' Kaoru said, accepting the box from him. He shrugged. 'Well, can I open it?'

Kenshin nodded. 'Sure, go ahead; it's yours now,' he told her.

Kaoru smiled and started to peel off the red silk ribbon, but she paused. 'Oh! You're still standing at the door!' she exclaimed, feeling embarrassed. 'I'm sorry, do come in, please!'

Kenshin shook his head. 'No, it's ok, I'll remain standing here,' he said.

'But…' she started.

'It's alright,' he assured her. 'You go ahead and see your gift so we can go, it's ok, I'll wait.'

Kaoru hesitated for a moment before turning back to her gift. She peeled off the ribbon bounding the box and lifted the lid. Inside rested a single, beautiful red rose and around its stem hung a beautiful friendship ring. She took out the rose and let the ring slip onto her open palm. Then she slipped it around her finger and held up her hand to study its effect. 'Oh, Kenshin! Thank you!!' she said. 'This is really beautiful!'

'Do you like it?' he asked, rather shyly.

'I love it! It's really great! Thank you!' she exclaimed. She leaned forward to give him a kiss on the cheek, but stopped suddenly when she saw the red spots on his cheek. 'Kenshin, you've got blood on your cheek.'

'I do?' he said, blinking.

'Yeah. Come in and have a look at the mirror, 'she said, stepping aside to let him pass through. Kenshin stepped into the apartment. Kaoru closed the door and guided him to the mirror she kept in the hallway. Kenshin studied his reflection in the mirror. 'See the blood?'

'Yeah,' he said slowly. 'Those cuts I got when I was shaving must've opened again or something.'

'Oh,' Kaoru said. She handed him a tissue. 'Okay, wipe it off so we could go.'

Kenshin accepted the tissue from her, wiped the blood away, and then he offered her his arm. 'Ready?' he said.

Kaoru smiled.

-

'Going home, Dr. Takani?'

Megumi pulled on her coat. 'No, Suke, not this time,' she told the nurse as she straightened the collar of the coat. She grabbed her mackintosh and wrapped it around her neck. 'I've got a date for tonight; Izumi's taking me out somewhere.'

Suke grinned. 'Well, then, have a good time, Dr. Takani,' Suke said.

'Thanks,' Megumi replied. 'Oh…and Suke, Merry Christmas.'

The nurse smiled. 'Merry Christmas to you too, Dr. Takani,' she said.

Megumi made her way to the exit. She passed the room in which Sano's friend…what was her name? Oh, Sayo…laid in a coma. Megumi just took a quick glance at the room, and was about to continue towards the exit when she saw something…or someone stirring in there. C_ould Sayo have woken up from her coma?_

She opened the door gently and stepped inside. 'Sayo?' she said softly.

'Who's there?' came a voice…a man…from beside the bed. The figure of the man stood up. 'Oh, Megumi! What are you doing here?'

Megumi squinted into the darkness of the room, and was surprised when she realized who it was. 'Sanosuke?' she said. 'Well, I should be asking you the same question…shouldn't you be out celebrating?'

Sano shrugged, and gestured at something on the nightstand; Megumi looked closely and saw a bouquet of roses and a get-well card. 'Just thought of dropping by and visiting Sayo, that's all,' he said quietly.

Megumi smiled. 'That's really nice of you,' she told him.

Sano just shrugged again and plopped down onto the chair. He folded his arms against the bed. 'So, what are you doing here?' he asked her casually. 'Don't you doctors get a break on Christmas or something?'

She smiled at him. 'Not really…you can't tell people to stop getting sick, can you?' she said, and shouldered her bag. 'Actually, I was just on my way out.'

'You have something special to do tonight?' he asked.

'Yeah, you can say so; I'm supposed to meet some one,' she told him. Then she paused for a moment at the door before finally remembering something that had been nagging her mind. 'Hey, you never came back for me to remove your stitches!'

'Oh…well, it kinda slipped my mind in the events of the past few days,' Sano told her, apologetically.

Megumi sighed. 'You just don't give a damn about your health, do you?' she scolded him, and he grinned sheepishly at her. 'You know, I should probably remove them now because I don't think I'll get a chance to do that later...and I don't suppose you'll come and ask me to do them from you.'

Sano frowned. 'But didn't you say you had somewhere to go to?' he said.

'I can spare a few minutes,' Megumi assured him. She put down her bag and shrugged off her coat, and placed them on a chair. She headed for the small cabinet in the corner of the room and pulled its small door open. 'Yes, I've got everything I need right here…'

'No, really, I'll come back tomorrow…' Sano was still saying.

'I took the day off tomorrow, and as I said before, you'll probably _forget _to come later on,' Megumi replied, taking out the stuff she needed. She straightened up. 'Ok, take off your shirt so I can get this over with.'

Sano, obediently, pulled off the t-shirt he was wearing, while she pulled on a pair of surgical gloves. She switched on the light in the room, and stepped up beside him. She touched the wound. 'Yes, I think it's okay now, I think I'll remove them,' she murmured. '…this might hurt a bit.'

'I've gone through this before, Megumi,' Sano pointed out, as she started removing the stitches.

'Oh, yeah…' Megumi said, smiling.

Sano turned to look at Sayo, who was lying quietly on the bed, and a guilty look crossed his features. 'Will she be alright?' he asked, softly.

'I can't tell you anything, remember?' Megumi said, focusing on the stitches. 'You can't tell with comas.'

Sano sighed. 'This is all my fault,' he said unhappily.

'How did she get shot?' she asked. 'I never really got the details…'

'Oh…well, I was just…saying goodbye to her on her front porch…and then, without any warning, she just jumped in front of me and took the bullet,' Sano said rapidly. He groaned. 'If only I was paying more attention…'

Megumi didn't say anything. She knew that Sano wasn't just _saying goodbye_ to Sayo, he was probably kissing her, and for some reason, that made her insides squirm with…was it jealousy she was experiencing? But that was ridiculous, why would she be jealous? She had Izumi, for God's sake! But, still, Sano was different, he was…she felt her cheeks becoming warm and her mouth becoming dry as she stared down at Sano's pumped muscles. As quickly as she could, she finished her job, placed a medical plaster on the wound and turned away from him.

'Are you done?' he asked.

'Y-yeah, I'm done,' she said without looking at him. What the hell was wrong with her?

'Thanks,' he said softly, and she could hear the definite rustle of clothes indicating that he had pulled his shirt back on.

Megumi felt that it was safe to look at Sanosuke now without her cheeks becoming red since he had his shirt on. Sure enough, she was able to look at him normally now. 'Your welcome,' she replied, smiling.

He smiled back at her. 'No, really, I mean it…thanks for everything, Megumi,' he said. 'For taking care of Sayo…and me…'

'I'm just…doing my job!' she chirped. 'That's what I get paid to do, right?'

Sano laughed, and a satisfied smile crept onto her face. He waved a hand at the door. 'So, anyway, didn't you say you had somewhere to go?' he asked her, and for a moment, Megumi thought that he was trying to shoo her away. 'Not that I don't want you around...I just don't want to hold you back.'

'You know what?' Megumi said, and pulled up a chair next to him. 'That place and that person can wait…how about I keep you some company?'

'Hey! That'd be great! Thanks!!' he exclaimed, happily.

'Your welcome,' she replied, grinning, and sent a mental apology to Izumi; she'll make up some excuse when she talks to him tomorrow, she always does. 'So, how about you tell me a little more about you?'

-

'Oh, Kenshin!! This place is amazing!!'

Kaoru and Kenshin had just stepped into the fancy restaurant where Kenshin had booked a table for the two of them, and the beauty of the place simply astounded her.

'Really? Do you like it?' he said asked.

'Like it? Oh, I love it!' she said, smiling happily. 'Thank you for bringing me here, Kenshin!!'

Kenshin just smiled at her. 'Shall I escort you to our table?' he asked.

'Oh, okay, sure,' she said, taking his arm.

Kenshin led her through the tables to the very back of the restaurant, where a lone table stood by a wall-length window which looked upon the lake the restaurant was situated near to. He pulled up a chair for her and she sat down, murmuring a thank you as she did. Then he walked around the table and took the seat opposite to her. 'I was lucky to be able to reserve this table,' he said. 'It's the best in the whole restaurant, I was surprised when I called and they told me it wasn't taken already.'

'Yeah, I see your point,' she said. 'We've got a really nice view from here.'

A moment of silence passed where Kenshin played with the salt shaker and Kaoru fumbled with the hem of the table cloth. 'Uh…well, would you like to order right away, or do you want to wait?' Kenshin asked her.

'Erm...I think it'd be better if we ordered now,' she replied.

Kenshin summoned a waiter to their table. The waiter handed them both a menu and stood by patiently while they picked out their orders. 'So…what is it that you'll be taking?' Kenshin asked after a few moments.

'I dunno…' she said, looking at him over the top of her menu. She didn't know any of the names of the meals in her menu; they all sounded unfamiliar, not to mention very expensive; she didn't want to go ahead and be the one to pick out an expensive meal; especially since she wasn't the one paying. '…why don't you pick?'

'Ok, if you say so,' he agreed. He looked down at his menu again. 'We'll take the Caesar salad first, then we'll move to the risotto, rissole, fricassee…some lasagna too, perhaps…and for dessert, we'll have some blancmange, chocolate fudge and treacle tarts…as for the drinks, we'll have champagne…'

'Oh, no,' Kaoru said quickly. 'None for me, thank you, I'm allergic to alcoholic drinks.'

The corners of Kenshin's mouth twitched, but he said nothing. 'Okay, so what will you have?' he asked.

'Uh…I'll have a fruit cocktail, please,' she said.

'Alright, you heard the lady,' Kenshin said. The waiter quickly jotted down the last order, nodded, and left their table. He looked back at Kaoru and saw that she was frowning at him. 'Er...Kaoru-dono? Is there something wrong?'

'You were going to laugh at me, weren't you?' she asked.

Kenshin stared at her. 'What? No! Of course not! Kaoru-dono, I would never laugh at...' he said defensively, but his voice trailed off when she narrowed her eyes at him. He chuckled. 'Well, okay. You gotta admit that it's a bit unusual for someone to be allergic to alcohol.'

'It is true. I'm serious, I tried it once before and it wasn't pretty at all! I had just turned eighteen and my boyfriend got me champagne as a treat, and I got all swollen and red and...' she said, and broke off when Kenshin started to laugh. She smiled at him. 'You're so different when you laugh.'

Kenshin stopped laughing at once. 'Different? How?' he asked, puzzled.

'It's just that you seem more yourself when you laugh; it's really refreshing,' she told him, and Kenshin smiled modestly. Kaoru tapped the menu. 'By the way...Kenshin? Don't you think all that food you ordered is just too much for us?'

Kenshin shrugged. 'I like to have a wide selection of food in front of me on the table,' he told her.

Kaoru frowned at him. 'Erm...do you even know what you ordered? Some of the meals you ordered sounded quite foreign to me,' she said tentatively.

Kenshin scratched the back of his head and looked sheepishly up at her. 'No, actually, I don't…that's why I ordered the lasagna, the fudge and treacle…I wanted to be on the safe side in case the other meals turned to be something disgusting,' he told her. 'I was just trying to look sophisticated.' Kaoru laughed, and then she started coughing. With an alarmed look on his face, Kenshin quickly poured out a glass of water and handed it to her. 'Are you okay?'

Kaoru took a sip out of her glass, before finally setting it down on the table and wiping the tears of mirth away from her eyes. 'Yeah, I'm okay, nothing to worry about,' she assured, smiling. 'I just choked on something.'

Kenshin smiled back, looking relieved. 'Ah...okay,' he said. 'That's good...I mean, it's good not it's something worse.'

'Hey, Kenshin…' she said quietly, the smile fading from her face. 'Aren't you worried somebody here might recognize you?'

Kenshin wagged a finger at her. 'Don't think I haven't thought about that; because that's another reason why I picked this table,' he told her. 'It's quite far from the other tables; we'll be able to have our privacy.'

'Oh,' she said, relieved. 'Yes, ok…I was just nervous.'

'No, really, I'm not worried…and if anything happens, I'll just jump out of this window and swim across the lake,' he said, and Kaoru raised her eyebrows at him. 'Just kidding.'

Kaoru leaned back in her chair. 'You have to be careful, Kenshin…the Agency's determined on capturing you,' she told him. 'Just today Captain Sagara called and told me they had pulled some extreme measures to catch you.'

Kenshin just smiled at her. 'I'll be fine,' he assured her. 'Now…why don't we forget about that and just enjoy our time, what do you say?'

'Seems like a good idea to me,' she agreed.

Their meal was served a few minutes later (Kaoru started praising the service, and Kenshin chuckled, making the waiter shoot an irritated look at both of them). The waiter named each dish as he placed it on the table, and then he left, telling them to call on him when they were finished so he could get them the dessert, and they started examining the dishes before them. The risotto turned out to be a dish of rice containing chopped meat and vegetables. The rissole was a mixture of fried minced meat. The fricassee was a plate of meat pieces served in a thick sauce.

'Uh…why don't you try 'em first?' Kaoru asked. '…since you're the one who ordered and everything?'

Kenshin nodded. Kaoru watched apprehensively as he test-tasted each plate for her. When he was done, he dabbed at his mouth with his handkerchief in a refined manner, and gave her the thumbs-up sign. 'The food's excellent!' he said, grinning. 'I recommend you start with rissole, follow it with the fricassee and end it with the rissole.'

They both dug in. Kenshin was right; the food was delicious. Kaoru was trying to eat as daintily as possible; it was no good if Kenshin saw how ravenous she could be. She followed Kenshin's advice, though, pouring herself a little ladle from each plate, while he kept reminding her to save room for dessert. The lasagna lay forgotten on the table. After that, the waiter served the dessert and the drinks. The fudge and the tarts were really good, but what Kaoru really loved was the blancmange; which was a flavored, jelly-like pudding. The cocktail wasn't bad either, and Kenshin said the champagne was perfect.

'If I return home and find that I've gained any weight, I'll blame your for it,' Kaoru told him, pointing an accusing finger at him, once the food had been lifted up from the table and they had washed up.

'But you did enjoy the meal, didn't you?' he asked.

'Oh, yes, it was very good,' she admitted. 'Thank you for bringing me here, Kenshin.'

'The pleasure was mine, Kaoru-dono,' he said softly.

'You can stop calling me Kaoru-dono, you know,' she told him.

He frowned. 'Why? Have I offended you in any way?' he asked, sounding a bit apprehensive.

'No! No, you didn't offend me!' she said quickly. 'It's really sweet and everything, but it's just…it feels too formal when you call me that…and if we're going to be friends, you have to stop acting formal around me.'

Kenshin's expression brightened. 'Really?' he said. 'I mean, you really want to be friends with me?'

He looked as happy as a child getting a Christmas gift, Kaoru wanted to laugh. But that thought reminded her that she hadn't got Kenshin any gift and she felt rather guilty. 'Sure, I do,' she said. 'If I didn't, I wouldn't be here sitting wolfing down food with you. By the way, I'm really sorry I didn't get you a gift, myself.'

Kenshin beamed at her and waved a dismissive had. 'You needn't get me anything, because, you know what, Kaoru-do…Kaoru?' he said, catching himself. 'You friendship is the best gift you could ever offer to me.'

Kaoru felt her cheeks become warm. 'It…is?' she said.

'Yeah,' he admitted. 'I wouldn't replace it with any other gift.'

'I…um…thank you, Kenshin,' she said, blushing. 'That's very nice of you to say.'

Kenshin was twisting and untwisting his fingers...continuously. 'Kaoru? I hope I'm not being too forward, but…is this a good time to point out that there's mistletoe above us?' he asked, looking nervously at her.

Kaoru looked up, and, yes, indeed, there was a large clump of mistletoe hanging directly above them; she wondered how she never spotted it before. She looked back at Kenshin, and saw that his face had gone an odd shade of red. If Kenshin looked like that, then how did _she _look? Kaoru felt her cheeks burning up. 'I…um…yeah…I guess it is' she whispered.

'I mean, if you don't want to…then I understand, he stuttered. 'You don't have to do it.'

His face has become more flushed with pink than ever, looking entirely cute in so, and Kaoru felt her cheeks become extremely red, not to mention her mouth which had become extremely dry. 'Well…' she murmured.

Kenshin rose slightly off his seat, and leaned forward slowly over the vase of red roses which was set on the table between them. Kaoru felt her mind go numb. She tried to move, but her body felt like it was paralyzed. She swallowed hard as she stared into those intense violet orbs of Kenshin; she saw some emotion deep within, but she couldn't decide what emotion it was…everything seemed to go in slow motion. She was just sitting there, unable to move, while Kenshin brought his face closer and closer to hers.

Kaoru only got back the feeling in her limbs when Kenshin's lips pressed against hers.

-

Sano dug in the pocket of his overcoat for his keys. He shuffled his feet as an attempt to warm up himself; it was starting to snow and it was really cold out here on the front porch of the house. He fished the keys out of his pocket, inserted it into the lock, unlocked the door and went inside, shaking the snow of his boots as he did so. He slammed the door shut, blocking out the wave of cold which was preparing itself to get through the door.

He shrugged off the coat and hung it on one of the wooden poles next to the door. He kicked off his boots and put them next to the door, before slipping his damp feet into a pair of slippers. 'Captain Sagara! Are you here?' he called into the house.

He frowned when he didn't get a response; could the Captain still be at the Agency? He glanced at his watch; it was eleven fifteen. No way would the Captain stay that long there, even with all the new measures and regulations he had pulled up.

'Captain!' he called again.

Again, no response. Or maybe the Captain was sleeping, or taking a shower or something…

He went to the staircase and climbed up to the second floor. On his way up, he recalled his conversation with Megumi. He couldn't believe he had actually talked to her for nearly two hours in that hospital ward, he was surprised to find out how amusing and entertaining Megumi could be; he really enjoyed talking to her. His thoughts kept drifting guiltily to Sayo; maybe he shouldn't have talked that much to Megumi, maybe he shouldn't have enjoyed the conversation that much…maybe he shouldn't have felt all those feelings and emotions for Megumi when Sayo was right next to him on the hospital bed…he felt like a total jerk.

'Captain!' he said again, without much feeling. That was so typical of the Captain; going out on Christmas night; the only night they were supposed to be together.

He trudged grumpily to his room. He paused when he saw that the door to his room was slightly open, and that the room was lit up. Feeling slightly anxious, Sano hurried to the room. He flung the door open. His eyes bulged out in the horror of what he saw.

He screamed.

Captain Sagara lay on his back on the white bed sheets which weren't so white anymore. What was white was replaced with a dark shade of crimson; the Captain's blood. The source of all the blood, Sano saw, was the big gash in the Captain's chest, out of which the crimson liquid gushed fluently. The Captain's blue orbs were wide and his mouth was open slightly, and a confused expression was on his face…he never knew what hit him.

And in the Captain's hand…Sano choked back bitter tears…was a beautifully wrapped gift. Sano approached the bed and picked the card which was tucked beneath the ribbon. Sano felt the tears pouring down his face as he read the words written in the Captain's elegant handwriting.

_**"Merry Christmas, Sanosuke, my son, my pride and joy."**_

Sano let out an anguished gasp as he collapsed upon the body of his guardian and father. He gripped the folds of his black shirt with his hands and sobbed into his chest.

…

Just as Kaoru's head swooned as Kenshin kissed her under the mistletoe, Sano's mind and body swooned as he clutched at the dead body of his beloved Captain Sagara.

**A/N: (blows her nose hard on a tissue and turns into a blubbering mess) I'm sorry!! (Sob!!) I dunno what got into me! I killed the Captain!! I killed him!! Oh, poor Sano!! **

**(Sniff, sniff) But I suppose you all liked the date, huh? It was pretty nice, wasn't it? I'm not that good at romantic scenes but I gave it my best shot. Well, anyway, I have to go now and hide my self in shame while u throw your insults on me :'( **

**But I thought it was nice (no, no! I'm not a sick, twisted person, honest!!). Please review!!**

_**- **S. N. B. _


	10. Cool as Ice

**D/C: None of the Rurouni Kenshin characters belong to me…not Kenshin, not Kaoru, not Sano...sniff…not one!!**

**HI! Sorry for the long wait (three weeks, right?), but I was doing my exams and couldn't finish the chapter (besides, I also was stuck in the chapter and couldn't get my ideas together), but exams (and school…finally!!) are over now so I've got lots of time to finish my fics.**

**Anyway…wow! Some of you got really close with their hints and suggestions…I'm not saying who, but some of you got close. Well done!! Oh, and Lazy Hop, you mentioned something about food …you know, I had fun picking out the meals when I was writing…but it also made me real hungry!!**

**Anyway, I'll stop babbling now and let you get on with the chapter. ENJOY!!!**

**CHAPTER 10: Cool as Ice**

Kaoru pulled her black coat tightly around her and hugged herself. She shuffled her feet together and pulled up the mackintosh she had wrapped around her neck so that it covered half her face. None of her attempts, however, were able to block out the chilling cold of winter. Snow fell heavily on them and around them. Within minutes of the start of the snowfall, the ground was covered with a thick blanket of white snow. Gales of cold wind rushed against their bodies and chilled them to the bones. The sky was also immensely gray; gray to match her mood and the mood of all those who had come to Captain Sagara's funeral.

Kaoru still had trouble believing that the Captain was dead. When she was informed of the terrible news, all she could do was stare, frozen, into empty space. She went immediately to check on Sano, and found her best friend in an awful state; his eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, his expression was pale, tears stained his face, and, surprisingly enough, his hair which usually defied gravity now had drooped down.

Just seeing him like that made all the emotions Kaoru was holding inside burst out and she had started crying, while Sano held her as she did. She had come over to comfort him, but he ended up comforting her instead. When she had gone there, she had also found Sano's suitcases by the door, and when she asked about them, he told her he was moving out.

'What? Why?' she had asked, surprised.

'I can't stay in the house, it reminds me of the Captain a lot…' he had said, quietly, his face between his hands. 'I'm probably going to return to it later…but now, I'm gonna rent an apartment downtown and stay there.'

'Where are you going to stay till you find one?' she asked.

'No big deal, I'll just ask a friend of mine or something,' he answered. Kaoru scowled at him and folded her arms against her chest, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor. He frowned at her. 'What? What did I do wrong?'

'I'm a friend of yours!' she said impatiently. 'Why don't you ask me?'

'I can't possibly stay at your place! You're already shacked with a roommate! I don't want to crowd you!' he told her.

'It's alright! I don't mind! And I don't think Misao will mind either,' she insisted. 'Besides, do you seriously think I'll let you go stay with some one other than me?'

Sano had then smiled at her. 'Guess not,' he said softly. 'You're too stubborn.'

'Good, then it's all settled,' she said briskly.

But as she looked up into his face now, she saw no smile. In fact, she saw no sorrow as well. All she saw was anger, and that made her recoil slightly. She had never seen her best friend this angry before, and it scared her. His eyes were ablaze with anger and hatred, and she knew why; Kenshin. Sano was probably thinking of revenge. Kaoru felt slightly panicked; if Sano was going to hurt Kenshin then she had to warn him…but how?! Kenshin wouldn't give her his phone number just in case she came across Shinta one day.

Truth was, she was thinking of taking revenge herself…from Shinta. Yes, she had had her sour moments with Captain Sagara, but he was still her captain, and she admired him a lot. He had helped them a lot and offered them lots of advice. What more, he was the one who had trained them hard enough to gain their respectable positions in the Agency.

Promise or no promise, she had to tell Sano about Shinta…but what then? What will she do? What will Sano do? Sano will probably go after Shinta, and Shinta…he will kill Sano, he won't even give him the chance to defend himself, he'll kill him just like he killed Hiko Seijuro and the Captain. And then he'll probably come after her…

_'…he'll hurt you…' Kenshin had said._

Kaoru shuddered and wrapped her arms even more tightly around herself. She looked down at Captain Sagara's tombstone. The Captain had always warned them about acting rashly, and here she was, thinking of doing the exact opposite. She couldn't just go and tell Sano…what if he didn't believe her in the first place? What if accused her of siding with Kenshin? No, she had to think this over. She had to discuss this with Kenshin.

Kaoru touched Sano's shoulder. 'Sano…' she said softly. 'I think we should go now, everybody's left.'

'No,' he said shortly.

'But…' she started.

'You go on without me,' he told her. 'I'll catch up with you later.'

'Are you crazy?' she demanded. 'It's nearly five degrees out here! You'll freeze to death!!'

'You think I care?' he muttered. Then he heaved a sigh. 'Go on, leave…I promise I won't stay here long.' Kaoru looked at him skeptically, like she didn't believe him. Sano sighed in exasperation. 'I promise! Don't you believe me?'

Kaoru held out her hands in a surrender gesture. 'Ok, ok, I give,' she said. 'But I'll be waiting for you, alright?'

Sano nodded silently. Kaoru sighed and trudged along the snowy ground to her car.

-

A screech of tyres as a car went around a corner told Sano that Kaoru had left and he sighed heavily. A single tear trickled down his cheek; he had been holding back his tears ever since the start of the funeral. He had never cried in front of anybody, and he wasn't planning on doing so now.

The Captain meant the world to him; he didn't know where he would've been by now if it weren't for the Captain…and to lose him so suddenly…Sano didn't expect that coming. He was counting for the Captain being there for him for the rest of his life, and his sudden death had disrupted all his fantasies and dreams.

He stared down at the tombstone and his eyes traveled on the words which had been engraved on it.

**Here lay the remnants of Captain Souzu Sagara**

**A friend, a guardian and a father**

**May his soul rest in peace**

**1976-2004**

Sano felt his tears becoming frozen on his cold face, and his hands and legs felt like they were about to get a frostbite, but he didn't care. So what if he died freezing? Then he'll be able to go after the Captain, he'll be with him again…

But what would the Captain say? Sano didn't think the Captain would be too pleased. And what about Kaoru? He couldn't just leave her behind…and Sayo and Megumi…and Himura… . The thought of Kenshin Himura filled him with anger and hatred. Himura killed the Captain, therefore Himura had to die. If not for the Captain, Kaoru, Sayo and Megumi…Sano would stay alive to kill Himura.

Suddenly, the cell phone in his pocket started vibrating. Sano had a good mind not to answer it, he didn't know why he even bothered to bring it along, but now it was ringing with such urgency that he felt compelled to answer. He pressed the TALK button and pinned the phone to his ear. 'Hello?' he said hoarsely.

'Sano? Is that you?' came Megumi's voice on the other end.

Sano frowned. 'Megumi, what is it?' he said, slightly confused.

'I know I shouldn't be calling you now, but this is important,' she said quickly.

'Did something happen to Sayo?' he demanded, hoping he didn't sound too fearful.

'Well, yeah, kind of,' she murmured.

'What happened? Did she wake up or something?' he said urgently.

'No…not exactly' she replied.

'What happened then?' he cried.

'I can't explain on the phone, you'd better come quickly though,' she told him.

'O-ok, I'll be there as fast as I can' he agreed, and ended the call. He stuffed it back into his pocket. He took one last look at the Captain's grave, threw the white he was holding onto its surface, and then hurried to his car. _First the Captain…and now Sayo…what will happen next?_

-

'I'm here, Megumi, what is it?'

Sano leaned against the wall as he tried to catch his breath; he had practically ran to the hospital from the parking lot.

'Follow me' she said quietly, and marched off in the direction which led to Sayo's room.

Worry rising in his chest, Sano followed Megumi down the corridor. What could've possibly happened to Sayo? He wanted to know. If she hadn't woken up, then could she have…died? He didn't even want to consider the leeway. But what if she really was…?

'Mr. Amakusa! I told you to wait!'

Megumi's voice drew Sano away from his thoughts. _Mr. Amakusa? _He looked up and saw a tall, broad-shouldered man with long brown hair which he had tied back into a ponytail, pushing a movable bed bearing Sayo with the help of a male nurse.

He frowned and straightened up when he saw her. 'I'm sorry, doctor, but you have no right to tell me what to do, and I'm taking Sayo away from here,' he said coldly.

_Taking Sayo away from here? _'Who the hell are you?' Sano demanded, angrily. 'And where do you think you're taking Sayo?'

The man looked coldly at him. 'The name's Shogo Amakusa, Sayo's brother,' he answered. 'And I'm taking Sayo back to Europe with me.'

_So this was the brother Sayo told me about, the one who left for University. _'What? You can't do that!' Sano cried. 'Sayo's in a coma, she needs medical attention! You can't take her away while she's like this!'

'But that's exactly why I'm taking her to Europe,' Shogo replied. 'I want her to be treated in Europe, it's much better for her…I think medicine in Europe is the best.'

'What the hell are you taking about?' Sano shouted. 'Medicine is great here! You won't find a doctor better than Miss Megumi Takani here, for instance!'

If Sano had looked back at Megumi at that moment, he would've seen her blushing; Sano had said she was the best doctor around…and he had called her _Miss Megumi Takani…Miss…_

'It's none of your business what I do,' Shogo snapped. 'I want to take Sayo to Europe so I could keep an eye on her from the first place, but the Captain wouldn't let me…he was our guardian, and I couldn't say anything against him then…but now he's dead, and I can do whatever I want and…'

'You bastard!!' Sano screamed, clenching his fists.

'Sano…' Megumi said, sounding alarmed.

Shogo didn't loose his cool. 'Excuse me?' he said.

'How dare you talk about the Captain this way?' Sano said, outraged.

'Talk about the Captain in what way?' Shogo inquired, his eyes narrowed.

'Like he was a burden on your chest or something! Like you couldn't believe that he's dead now and you've finally rid of him!' Sano hissed. 'Heck! You sound glad he's dead! You might as well have been the one to have killed him!'

Shogo laughed. 'Don't be ridiculous! Me? Kill the Captain?' he said, and laughed again. 'That's a joke if I ever heard one.'

'Yeah? I wonder if you'd still think it was a joke if you saw how the Captain was cut and open like a fish ready for gutting' Sano said coldly.

Shogo's features hardened. 'Listen here, Sano…is that your name? I'm sorry about what happened to the Captain, but it's over, we can't do anything about it…he's dead, and unless there's a way of bringing people back to life, he won't be coming back,' he said quietly. 'And I want Sayo to live, and that can't be done if she doesn't receive proper medication…'

'She's getting proper medication here!' Sano bellowed.

'It's not the kind of medication I like,' Shogo said. 'I'm putting Sayo in a private hospital in France and that's the end of it…you don't have a saying against it…I'm her legal guardian now, she's in my custody, I do whatever I want…I think you'll find that in your manual or something…and unless they have invented some new rules, then I think that I shouldn't be even having this conversation with you.'

Sano gritted his teeth and glared at Shogo. _The bastard is right; I can't do anything about it, he's the one who can make Sayo's decisions here…not me…_

Shogo smirked. 'Thought so,' he said softly.'Well, I have to be going now, don't want to be late for my flight…c'mon, Mark.'

And with that, he and the nurse wheeled Sayo's bed away from them, down the corridor and towards the exit door. Sano clenched his fists so tight his knuckles became white, and his muscles tensed. Megumi put a comforting hand onto his arm, and he looked down at her.

'It's going to be okay,' she said soothingly.

Sano shook his head. 'No, it's not,' he muttered, watching Shogo's back as he left the building with Sayo. 'Nothing's gonna be okay.'

-

Darkness. His life had always been engulfed in darkness, and it never bothered him. But now, it felt like it was closing in on him, suppressing him…choking him. His hands gripped the arms of his chair for a moment, before he relaxed his grip with a weary sigh.

'Stop sighing and tutting! You're driving me crazy!'

Kenshin looked up and glared at the dark figure sitting on the table across from him. 'You shouldn't have done it, Shinta,' he said hoarsely.

'Done what?' Shinta snapped. He snickered. 'Bought that blue shirt? I know it isn't your taste, but I like it!'

Kenshin scowled. 'Don't play games with me, Shinta,' he hissed. 'You know perfectly well what I'm talking about.'

Shinta stuck a piece of steak he was cutting in his mouth, started chewing it and looked at his brother. 'Oh, get over it,' he said, with his mouth full. 'I've done it and there's nothing you can do to change it.'

'You shouldn't have killed the Captain!' Kenshin said angrily. 'It was just unnecessary bloodshed! You mustn't go killing people like that!'

'I got bored, I needed some excitement,' he said, faking a yawn.

'You killed sensei a week before it, you bloody bastard,' Kenshin growled.

'Sensei?' Shinta repeated, and laughed scornfully. He pointed the fork at his brother. 'Oh, for God's sake! Are you still calling him that? The old fool knew nothing of his word-fighting skills when I met him…he was just another old man.'

'You killed him when he was armless, you jerk' Kenshin snapped. 'Sensei would never have let you out of that fight without some fatal wounds, and you perfectly know that'

'I had to kill him, his very existence was a threat to me, he had to go,' Shinta replied, coolly. 'Armless or loaded with weapons, I had to kill him…if it comforts you in any way, he died quickly…a quick, simple death.'

Kenshin gritted his teeth. The way his brother talked about the people he killed unnerved him and made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He watched as he stuck another piece of steak in his mouth, and downed it with a gulp from his wine glass.

'Mmm…this meal is excellent, I must congratulate the cook on his work…what do you think, Ken?' he said cheerfully. Kenshin let his fork and knife drop to his barely-touched plate, and pushed it away from him. He folded his arms against his chest and continued to glare at his brother. Shinta pouted. 'Ow, don't be like that, Ken…you've barely eaten anything in those past few days! It isn't good for your health! You must eat something!'

'Stop acting so calmly!!' Kenshin shouted, banging his fists against the surface of the table. Shinta's eyebrows shot up in surprise. 'Don't you know what you've done? You've created a feud here by killing the Captain!! Now his son and the rest of the Agency are gonna come after us!! You think they'll leave us alone after you've killed their Captain? Why, they could be on their way here this very moment!'

Shinta put down his knife and fork, crossed his fingers underneath his chin, and smiled at his brother. 'Kenny, relax…' he said softly. 'I'd have known if the Agency were doing anything now, Sagegawa would've told me immediately.'

Kenshin snorted. 'That spy you put in the Agency? Is that his name?' he said.

Shinta nodded. 'Yep,' he said, looking really proud of himself. He sliced another piece of steak and placed it in his mouth. He watched his bother carefully. 'And besides, how would they know where we are? You haven't gone and told Kaoru anything, have you?'

'That's Kaoru-dono to you,' Kenshin snapped.

'Kaoru,' Shinta repeated. 'She let me call her that way.'

'You mean, she let _me,_' Kenshin retorted. 'She let Kenshin, not Shinta.'

Shinta smiled. 'But we're the same person, Ken…remember?' he said sweetly. Then his features hardened suddenly. 'You haven't answered my question yet…have you told her anything about our little secret, have you? She wouldn't happen to know that I exist, now, would she?'

'No, she wouldn't,' Kenshin said coldly. 'And I haven't told her anything.'

Shinta smiled. 'That's good…because, well, you know, I hate to remind you of the consequences of you ever telling anything…and when I say anything, I mean about me, our past…everything…understand?' he said.

'Yeah,' Kenshin muttered.

'You didn't tell her about me, did you?' Shinta demanded.

'No, dammit! I didn't!' Kenshin lied.

'Good…because, you know, I had the feeling you did it…like last time, remember?' Shinta said, starting on his steak again.

'How can I ever forget?' he said softly, touching his scar.

'Of course, you wouldn't want the past repeating itself, would you?' Shinta said. 'I mean, I know it was horrible first time…I can still remember the…'

'Enough already!!' Kenshin said heatedly.

'Ok, ok…' Shinta agreed. 'I'm just reminding you…because I would seriously hate to have to kill Kaoru…she seems like she's such a sweet person, isn't she?'

'If you ever…' Kenshin started.

'You just stay silent, alright?' Shinta snapped. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I want to finish this steak in peace.'

Kenshin didn't say anything.

Silence.

That's something he's always been good at…

-

**A/N: Ok! How was it? Yeah, I know, kinda short, I'm sorry, but my mind's still kinda numb after those exams (well, your mind would be numb too if you were doing exams for three weeks, and you had three exams per subject, and you had six subjects), but I promise longer chapters later. Anyway, if you did like this one, you can always go on and review. I bet all SXM fans are really happy now that Sayo's out of the picture…well, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but she's gonna show up later…not soon, though.**

**Below is a list of people I'd like to thank for reading and reviewing my story. Thanks!!**

**Adelaide MacGregor, LazyHop, skenshingumi, Strawberry'd, Crystal Winds, Aldailyn, BlueberryStain, royal blueKitsune, Clueless Girl, Grace 07, deal-with-it, Jisusaken, kenshinlover2002, gabyhyatt, half-breed-demon-fox, Brittanie Love, Neko-Yuff 16, SaPpHiRe AmBeR, Crewel, loveywhatever, Via X Infinito, Reignashii, jeez, kawaiimeeh, Hikari-Kawaii, blood rose, All Knowing One 412, Valaroma, Mizz-Clumsy, Blessed.**

**Well, wait for my next chappie! **

_**-ZEN.**_


	11. Decisions

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.**

**Thank you, everybody, for your reviews; I didn't expect my last chappie to be appraised by you. Well, anyway, as I said before, I've finished school and now I have a lot of time ahead of me to write and finish my stories; expect at least one update every week. Ok, now I'll leave you with the eleventh chappie.**

**Enjoy!**

**CHAPTER 11: Decisions**

The digital watch on her headgear read 10 30 as she pulled into her building's parking lot.

Kaoru sighed in exasperation. It had been a terrible day at work; everybody looked gloomy and upset, and nobody seemed to want to work. She had nearly spent her entire time soothing and comforting people when, in her opinion, she was the one who needed comfort the most…apart from Sano, that is. But Sano wasn't at work today…in fact; he hadn't gone to work ever since the Captain died. He just stayed at her apartment the whole time, hunched over his laptop, searching the Net for details and information about Kenshin. He had become so obsessed with his hunt for Kenshin; Kaoru was starting to worry about them both.

She locked her car and walked out of the parking lot, buttoning up her coat as she did; it had only stopped snowing yesterday, but it was still very cold. She stepped in through the gates of her apartment building, walked up the small front lane till she reached the double doors leading inside. She was just starting to push at the cold, frosty surface of the glass door, when she felt a hand grabbing her shoulder.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she felt her heart thumping loudly against her chest. She was afraid to turn around and find a gun aimed at her head.

'Kaoru-dono,'

Kaoru released her breath, feeling relieved. She turned around to face her addresser. 'Kenshin! You scared me!' she said, accusingly.

Kenshin let go of her shoulder, and stuffed both his hands in the pockets of his black coat. 'Sorry,' he murmured.

'And what did I tell you about calling me Kaoru-dono?' she told him.

'Uh, yeah…sorry, I forgot,' he said, smiling apologetically.

She waited for him to say something, but he just kept looking around at particularly everything but her. 'So? What brings you here?' she asked. 'It's not so safe for you to come here anymore, Sano's staying with me now, and if he ever sees you around, he'll skin you alive.'

'Sano? The Captain's son?' Kenshin asked.

'Yeah,' Kaoru said quietly.

'I…I'm sorry about what happened,' Kenshin croaked. 'I didn't know he was going to do it, if I did, I would've told you…'

Kaoru forced a smile. 'I know, Kenshin, and it's okay. It wasn't your fault…it isn't your fault you have such a bastard of a brother,' she soothed him. Kenshin looked away rather shamefully. Kaoru touched his arm, and when he looked up, she smiled warmly at him. 'I told you, it's not your fault. Now let's go somewhere private to talk…I really don't want to imagine what Sano would do if he stepped out of this door and saw you here.'

'Ok,' Kenshin agreed, nodding slowly.

They left through the gates, side by side, and Kaoru led him into a dark alleyway beside the building. She propped herself up on a large wooden crate which lay forgotten there, and Kenshin leaned on the wall opposite from her. They didn't say anything for a whole minute, and then Kenshin spoke up.

'I know you must want to go after Shinta now, Kaoru-do…Kaoru,' he murmured. 'But I seriously wish you wouldn't.'

'I've wanted to go after Shinta since the beginning, remember? But you wouldn't let me…come to think of it, maybe none of these murders would've happened if I did,' she said, rather bitterly. Kenshin started to talk, but stopped when he saw that Kaoru still hadn't finished. 'It's too late to do anything now, anyway…we're all too deep in this, I've pondered over this again and again, and I've studied the consequences…'

'You're still not going to tell anybody?' Kenshin asked, sounding a little surprised.

Kaoru smiled weakly. 'I'm just not prepared for the mass murder which could follow if I ever did,' she admitted.

'That's…that's very wise, Kaoru…really,' he told her.

'You think?' she asked quietly. 'Because I have the feeling that this is going to get me nowhere…I mean, what exactly are we going to do? Are we going to let Shinta carry on like this? I feel that we're just going around in circles.'

Kenshin gave her an encouraging smile. 'Don't worry, we'll come up with something,' he told her.

She frowned at him. 'How can you be so sure about that?' she asked, sounding doubtful.

'You gave me hope, Kaoru…' he told her. 'Before, I was all alone, there was no one I could trust…or rather, there was no one who would trust me, and I couldn't do anything on my own…but _you _trusted me, you came and put your faith in me, you believed me when I told you about Shinta when no one ever did…and that gave me hope…hope which tells me that this nightmare will soon end.'

Kaoru smiled. 'I really hope you're right, Kenshin,' she said. 'Because I can't bear to live with this secret any longer…just knowing that I know who killed the Captain when Sano is scraping the whole FBI network and not being able to tell him about him just makes me feel…kinda like a traitor, you know?'

'I'm really sorry, Kaoru,' Kenshin said sincerely. 'I never intended to put you under such pressure.'

'No, it's okay,' she replied, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. 'It's just…God! Look at me! Just put me under a little pressure and I crack up!'

'Kaoru…' Kenshin said softly.

'You were right,' Kaoru mumbled. 'I can never imagine what it would've been like if I were in your place…I consider the situations I go through as the pits, when you must've lived through a lot more.'

'Don't be so hard on yourself,' Kenshin chided her.

Kaoru looked up at him through blurry eyes. All the frustration and anger she'd been experiencing were coming down on her now, and there was nothing within her will power that was able to hold them back any longer. Kenshin put his arms around her and she started to sob into his shoulder, her small hands clutching at his black coat.

'I just want this to be over, Kenshin,' she choked.

'It will. Kaoru, look at me,' he told her, and she looked up at him. Hands encircling her waist, he leaned down and kissed her lightly on her lips. He smiled at her, and she blushed. 'It will be over, okay? Trust me on that.'

'I do...I do trust you,' she said softly, before Kenshin leaned down for another kiss.

-

'Hello!! I'm home!!'

Misao came running up to her as soon as she stepped in through the door. Kaoru looked at her, slightly confused.

'Er…is there something wrong, Misao?' she asked.

'No, it's just that…thank goodness you're finally here!!' she exclaimed. 'I've been trying to make conversation with your friend, I wanted to cheer him up a bit…but all he do is answer in grunts! And he never looks up from that laptop of his!! I just turned on the TV for a bit and he was sitting in the room, glaring at me on top of his laptop in such a way which made me feel like I've committed a crime or something!!'

Kaoru laughed. 'Relax, Misao,' she soothed her. 'Sano is just going through a really rough time now, and he's not really in his friendliest of moods…he's usually a great guy, but at the moment…' Her voice trailed off as she looked in the direction of the living room, where Sano had taken to brooding most of the time. She looked back at Misao. 'I'll talk to him for you, okay?'

'Yeah, okay; I mean, I don't mind him staying or anything, but...' she said, and let her voice trail off. She was now looking at Kaoru as if she was seeing her for the first time. Kaoru cringed as the girl smiled mischievously. 'Kaoru? Who've you been kissing, eh? Look at you!! You look like you've just had one hell of a kiss!!'

Kaoru blushed, and mentally kicked herself for not remembering to sort herself out before coming up to the apartment. Misao was right; she and Kenshin had necked out for a while down in that alleyway behind those empty wooden crates...Kaoru had really lost track of time down there. Looking herself in the hallway mirror, she saw that her lipstick had been wiped right off and there was snow in her already messed-up hair.

'Erm...yeah,' she said, while she hastily smoothed down her hair and clothes. She grabbed a tissue and quickly started to clean the smeared lipstick. She tried to look dignified when she looked at Misao again. 'I'll...just go and talk to Sano now, okay?'

Misao was obviously trying not to burst out laughing. 'Okay, go ahead,' she said.

Kaoru nodded and quickly hurried off to the living room. She stepped inside, and saw Sano, sitting on the couch with his laptop resting upon his lap. He was so absorbed in his work he didn't seem to notice that she had come in until she had cleared her throat. 'Oh…hi, Kaoru,' he said, rather absently.

'Hey. How was your day?' she asked, crossing over to an empty couch and plopping down on it. She reached out and scratched Kenny, who was snoozing soundlessly on the coffee table, behind the ears. 'What did you do?'

'Nothing,' Sano grunted.

'Any success with your research?' she asked.

'No,' he mumbled.

Kaoru stayed silent for a moment, trying to come up with something that would keep the conversation going; she, herself, was having a hard time trying to communicate with Sano, since the later preferred to keep silent most of the time. 'They asked about you today…in the Agency, I mean,' she told him. Sano didn't say anything. 'They're worried about you, Sano…'

'Worried about me, or feeling sorry for me?' Sano muttered.

'They're _worried_ about you, Sano,' Kaoru insisted. 'They wanted to know why you haven't been showing up to work, and personally, I'm sick of covering up for you! I'm sick of telling them that he's in Japan working on the Captain's will!'

'No one's telling you to do so,' Sano said quietly.

Kaoru sighed in exasperation. 'Honestly, Sano, you think the Captain would want you to wallow up in sorrow and grief just because he passed away? Do you think he'd want you to skip work for that?' Kaoru said sharply.

Sano gritted his teeth. 'Unfortunately, I wouldn't know what the Captain would've wanted because he's dead!' he said angrily. 'I just lost the closest thing I've had to a family, Kaoru! What do you want me to do?'

'I…' Kaoru started.

'Besides, I am doing some work,' Sano continued. 'I am looking for leads about Himura.'

'That's no excuse, Sano,' Kaoru replied. 'You know perfectly well that you'd have more luck with your search in the Agency…you just don't want to go and face everybody there, you're afraid they might feel sorry for you and…'

'So what if I do?' Sano snapped.

'Sano, this isn't right, you must…' she said.

'And I can't find a thing in here!!' he suddenly shouted, slamming the laptop shut with such force that Kaoru felt sure it must've broken. Kenny woke up with a start and started hissing, the hairs on his backs standing on an end. Kaoru scooped up the cat into her lap and started smoothing his hair, cooing to him gently. She then turned to Sano, and was about to say something, when he stood up, tucked the laptop under his arm and marched out of the room, muttering, "Good night".

Kaoru sighed wearily. 'Good night, Sano,' she mumbled. She looked down at the cat, who had returned back to sleep. 'I envy you, you know.' Then, the phone started ringing. Kaoru put down Kenny on the couch, and went to answer the phone. She picked up the mouthpiece. 'Hello? Kaoru Kamiya speaking.'

'Hello, Kaoru,' came Saitou's voice on the other end of the line.

'Oh, hi, Saitou!' she exclaimed. 'It's been a long while since I last heard from you.'

'Yeah, well, I figured you'd be busy…what with the Captain's death and everything,' Saitou said quietly, and she didn't say anything. He was quiet for a moment, and she could tell he was raking his mind for something to say. 'Well...um, how is your friend Sano doing?'

Kaoru was surprised to hear the note of concern in his voice, but she really wasn't in the mood to press on the subject. 'He's not doing well,' she said unhappily. 'He's really upset about the Captain, and he's become really obsessed with looking for the murderer…it's scary.'

'Yeah, I can only imagine,' he said quietly. 'Listen, when can I see you? I really want to see if _you're _okay.'

Kaoru smiled and started coiling the phone's cord around her finger. 'Aww, aren't you so sweet?' she cooed. 'But yeah, it's been a long while since I last saw you...so how about we meet at our usual place and have lunch?'

'Seems like a good idea,' he agreed. 'So, I'll meet you there at two?'

'Yeah…and try to be there this time, okay?' she said, rather sharply.

'Ok, I will' he assured her.

She hung up with Saitou, and the guilty feeling she had been getting ever since she had gone out with Kenshin took over. She felt ashamed that she had gone out with Kenshin behind Saitou's back; Saitoh had always been loyal to her, and she had gone and cheated on him.

She couldn't help it though; she had been drawn to Kenshin despite herself…same way he had become drawn to her. There was something different about him…something she never found in Saitou…something deep. Saitou wasn't deep. He was great and everything, but he was just too unemotional, and that got on her nerves sometimes. But she didn't want to continue to cheat on him…and she neither wanted to stop seeing Kenshin. She had to decide between them.

She groaned. Decisions!! She really hated them!

-

Sano looked up at the wooden sign which was swinging above his head, frowning upon the red boar which had been painted upon it.

The Red Boar. He had never set foot in that pub; the Captain had always forbidden him from going to it. He heard a lot about it, though, from senior FBI agents, and from that Hajime Kaoru dated…he heard enough to make sure that this place was like a gold mine to all Agencies, police stations…it was a place where lots of criminals and thugs collected and grouped to make plans and carry out plots. Lots of conspiracies and schemes were stopped here; it was just a matter of getting your hands on the right leads. You'd think those ruffians would learn and pick out another place, but they never did…it just went to prove that all villains were idiots.

_Just like that bastard, Kenshin Himura…_

He also learned that this place was the best if you wanted to gather information about the underground community. The bar tender and pub manager, Kamatari, was your kind of man for that.

Sano pushed the heavy wooden door upon, and stepped into the pub. He, too, like Kaoru, felt the humid air, and felt himself sweating under his black over-coat. He took the flight of steps which lead down to the underground pub.

His impression of the place was just that of Kaoru's; he thought that the place must've been furnished from the dumpster, and the painting job done must've surely been done by a three-year-old. Screwing his nose against the horrible odor which filled the place, and ignoring all the eyes which had fixed upon him from the moment he had walked into the place, Sano made his way to the pub. He set himself up on a stool one stool away from a man who looked like he had done a job of engorging himself somehow.

Just as much as he liked to get up and start shouting at those people to stop staring at him, Sano kept silent. It wouldn't do him any good to stir up trouble here…especially when each one of those sitting here might have a weapon under their coats…maybe even those sluts of a woman carried weapons…No, it was best if he remained silent.

'Well, well…what have we here?'

Sano looked up to face the pretty bartender who had been addressing him. If he was in a good mood, he would've sat here and appreciated the beauty of this girl while she filled him up with Sake…and, judging by the girl's expression, she wanted the exact same thing. But he was here on business, he wasn't here to play and fool around.

'You're new here, aren't you?' the girl said in a sweet tone. Sano grunted in reply. 'What's your name?'

'That's only for me to know, missy,' Sano said, quietly. 'Now get me your manager.'

For some reason, the girl giggled. Sano scowled up at her, tapping his fingers impatiently against the scrubbed wooden surface, while he waited for her to finish laughing. 'But, sweetheart,' she finally said, resting her hand on his shoulder. Sano didn't react. 'I manage myself.'

Sano was taken by surprise. 'You're Kamatari?' he said incredulously.

Kamatari grinned and swept his hair back with his free hand. 'In the flesh,' he said proudly. Sano immediately brushed the guy's hand off his shoulder. Kamatari smiled at him and folded his arms against the counter. 'So, what can I do for you tonight?'

'You can help me by giving me some information about Himura,' Sano said quietly.

Kamatari pouted. 'All of you people want information about him!' he protested. He relaxed again and reached out and tickled Sano's chin. 'Don't you want to have some fun?'

Sano slapped his hand away. 'Who else came asking for information about him?' he asked sharply.

'You didn't say the magic word!' Kamatari said in a sing-sang voice, and Sano shot him a death-glare. Kamatari frowned and then he sighed wearily. 'It was a young girl…pretty thing she was, with black hair and blue eyes.'

_Kaoru. _

So Kaoru had been here before. She had come here looking for information about Himura. If she had told him that she would've saved him the trouble of coming here; he could've asked her for all the information he wanted. Then again, he really wasn't in the mood to talk to Kaoru, she would then start reminding him of how he had become too obsessed with finding Himura, and he would start on how it was none of her business, and then Kaoru would start shouting and…he really didn't want that.

'You want information about Himura?' Kamatari said, taking off the apron he had tied around his waist. 'Follow me, then…we can't talk here, everybody'll hear what we're saying.'

He nodded at the engorged man sitting next to Sano, and at the five men huddled together at the table behind him. Sano nodded. He stood up and followed the cross-dresser around the bar and through a wooden door in the corner. Sano found himself walking into a room which was much closer to his liking than the pub outside. A few other paintings had been added since Kaoru had come here, but the room looked as comfortable as ever with its wooden furniture and crimson cushions.

After gesturing for the girl who had been warming up before the fireplace to leave the room, Kamatari plopped down on one of the couches, and beckoned to Sano to have a seat. 'You know…I don't get much of your type around here,' Kamatari said softly. 'The guys who show up are usually bearded and scruffy, and have trouble walking and talking at the same time.'

Sano's eyebrows rose slightly. 'Yeah…okay,' he said, with a dismissive end to his tone. 'So, what do you know about Himura?'

Kamatari giggled. 'Other than the fact that he's one of the cutest little ruffians I ever saw?' he said. Sano just glared at him. 'Ok, seriously, what do you want to know?'

'Everything,' Sano said shortly.

Kamatari's perfect eyebrows shot up in surprise. 'Hmm…I'd have to know why you want information about Kenshin first…' he said, and wagged a finger at him. 'I just can't go giving these stuff to everybody, y'know.'

'I'm here on official FBI business,' Sano hissed. His nerves were already stretched to breaking point, and here was the guy playing around with him. 'So either you tell me everything you know, or you'll have to face my wrath, get it?'

A mischievous smile crept onto Kamatari's face. 'Ooh, you're so manly,' he said softly. 'I like that.'

Sano snapped. No sooner had the words left Kamatari's mouth, than he found a pair of hands clasped tightly around his throat. His eyes widened in surprise, and he opened his mouth soundlessly. Sano brought his face close to Kamatari's. 'Listen here, Kamatari,' he said softly. 'I didn't come here to play, alright? I just want to get what I came for and leave…or things will turn very nasty for you…is that clear?'

Kamatari opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Sano loosened his grip around his throat a little. 'Crystal clear,' he said hoarsely.

Sano smiled and let go of the guy. He sat back on his chair. 'Good,' he said. 'I knew we'd get to an agreement.'

Kamatari nodded vigorously. _Jeez! What a temper! Who'd ever want anything to do with some one like him? Aw, but he's so cute!_

'Shall we proceed?' Sano said quietly, and Kamatari pushed away any dirty thoughts he had about Sano out of his mind; this wasn't a guy he wanted to mess with.

-

Kaoru felt a sinking sense of déjà vu as she sat at their usual table in the small restaurant where she and Saitoh had agreed to meet for lunch.

Saitou was late…again.

She glanced at her watch for what seemed like the hundredth time. Saitou was supposed to meet her here at two, but it was already twenty five minutes past two o'clock, and he still wasn't here.

Kaoru felt fed up and she went and ordered without him, deciding she'd finish her meal and get out of here, and leave the bill on him. And to make things more classic, she had thought savagely, she was going to order the most expensive meal on the menu; as a punishment for keeping her waiting.

She swore silently under her breath that if Saitou's lateness was any where due to his work, she was going to ditch him. Once, twice…and maybe thrice…she'd forgive him. But five times in one month was just too much. She would take it personally then.

So she sat alone at the table, munching at the meal she had ordered, while she thought up of what to say to Saitoh when he called her up, all the while eyeing her cell phone expectantly, which was lying solitarily on the table beside the salt shaker. She finished her meal, wiped her mouth on her napkin, and sat glaring at the cell phone, as if it were its fault that Saitoh was so late. She was going to give him one more minute…just one minute…

Kaoru jumped as the phone rang suddenly. She recollected herself and snatched it from the surface of the table, pressed the TALK button and pinned it to her ear. 'Hello?' she said.

'Hi, Kaoru,' Saitou's voice came on the other end.

Kaoru almost laughed out loud. There were only a few times when you caught Saitou scared, and those times were priceless…and he seemed terrified at the moment. 'Would you care to explain why you're forty minutes late?' she asked sharply.

'Well, you see, Kaoru…I got caught up in my work and didn't notice the time…' he started.

'Of course!' Kaoru interrupted him. 'It's always about your work, isn't it?'

'Er…I don't understand,' he said.

'Oh, for God's sake!' she snapped. 'You're always skipping out on our dates and lunches and dinners and breakfasts just for the sake of your stupid job! I work in the Agency, and I still make time to come and see you. Why can't you do the same?'

'Kaoru, you don't understand…' he said, trying to explain.

'Oh, I perfectly understand what's going on here,' she muttered. 'You just think more of your job than you do of me!!'

'No, Kaoru, I don't! If you'll just listen to me…' he pleaded.

Kaoru knew she sounded like some jealous girlfriend, but she didn't care. She had listened to a lot of Saitou's excuses already, and she wasn't prepared to listen to any more of them. There was only one excuse too many. 'I'm sorry, Saitou, but I don't want to listen to you anymore,' she murmured.

'Huh?' he said, surprised.

'I think we should take a break,' she suggested.

'Yeah, okay…I'll just let you cool off for a moment and then I'll call you back again, and we'll…' he said.

'No, Saitou…I didn't mean that kind of break' she said gently.

Saitou fell silent. Kaoru bit down on her bottom lip; she didn't intend for things between them to turn out this way, but lately, Saitou's been so immersed in his jobs and she wasn't seeing him that much. She liked Saitou and everything, but things didn't look like they were going to work out between them.

'No, of course you didn't,' he said softly.

'I'm sorry, Saitoh, but things aren't working out between us and I think it's best for both of us to just…let go' she said softly. 'I don't want to put any pressure on you, I want a stable relationship, but you seem to be pretty occupied to spend time with me…and I don't want that, and I don't think you want that on your mind either'

Saitou didn't say anything, and Kaoru felt a stab of guilt. She had told him why she wanted to break up…but that was only part of it. _And I just don't want to continue cheating on you, Saitoh…it's not fair for you…_

'Saitou?' she said softly.

'It's alright, Kaoru…I knew it would come to this some day,' he admitted, chuckling lightly. 'I never was able to hang on to the girls I met.'

Kaoru smiled. 'I know you'll find some one soon, Saitou, but it's not going to be me,' she replied. 'I guess…there wasn't enough chemistry between us, huh?'

'Yeah, I suppose,' he agreed.

'We could still be friends, though,' she told him.

'Yeah,' he said quietly.

A couple of moments passed, and they both were silent. The silence hung heavy around them.

'Well…I'll see you around, then,' she finally said.

'Yeah, see you,' he murmured.

And with that, Kaoru hung up. She put the phone onto the table, and looked down on it. She felt surprisingly well about this break up. She _was_ upset, of course, but relieved at the same time. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off her chest.

What more, she didn't feel guilty about seeing Kenshin any more.

**-**

**A/N: STRIIKE!! And you're out!! G'bye. Saitou! Nice having you!! (Saitou: Damn! And it was really great too!!). Yes, yes, I bet you're all very happy now that Kaoru broke up with Saitou, huh? You didn't think I was going to keep him with her, did you? That really wasn't in my intentions. Anyway, I've got some surprises for you in chapter 12, so be sure not to miss it! **

**Oh, and please review!!**

_- S. N. B. _


	12. It's All About Trust

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…damn!**

**Hey! I'm back!! Just want to say thank you for all your reviews! Oh, and yeah, I love updating quickly, that way you readers won't get bored with the story, and I won't forget the whole plot of the story! Anyway, I'll stop blabbering without any reason and I'll let you get on with the chappie. Remember, I told you there will be surprises in this one!!**

**Happy Reading!!**

**CHAPTER 12: It's all about Trust**

'What are you doing?'

Kenshin hated it when his brother pored over the Internet and books and city maps for hours. It wasn't that he hated the silence; silence was good; silence meant that he didn't have to hear Shinta talk about Kaoru in that possessive way of his. But silence also meant that Shinta was scheming; scheming for his next operation, his next murder…he had to know what he was up to, maybe he'd be able to stop it…whatever it was.

He wasn't lying when he had told Kaoru that he had stopped some of Shinta's operations before. For example, he had once talked Shinta out of robbing a bank, pointing out all the security measures available in it, and that if any of his men got caught, they'll be sure to spill the beans on him and where he was hiding. Another time, Shinta was scheming to kill a certain minister, and he had went and sent a warning to the poor man. The minister had escaped from town then, and Shinta had started cursing his bad luck.

He knew Kaoru must think he was a weakling, but she didn't know that he was only doing that to protect the people around him, to protect the people he loved and cared for…he couldn't risk history repeating itself.

'What are you doing, Shinta?' he asked again, sharply this time.

Shinta looked over the edge of his laptop's monitor at Kenshin. There was a visible expression of irritation and annoyance on his face. 'What do you think I'm doing? Making plans, of course,' he snapped.

'Plans for what?' Kenshin persisted.

'Why should I tell you?' Shinta muttered. 'You know what you're to do, anyway…just let the cops think it's you who's doing it and everything'll be fine.'

'Am I not supposed to know what I will be taking the blame for this time?' Kenshin said shrewdly.

'It's really none of your business, Ken,' Shinta said angrily.

'If you think about it, you'll find that it's completely within my business, Shinta,' Kenshin said coolly.

Shinta opened his mouth, maybe to tell Kenshin about his scheme, but he seemed to think better of it, because he immediately shut his mouth and smiled at him. 'No, we don't want you messing up our plan now, do we?' he said softly. 'No, it's best if you did not know about it.'

Kenshin fought the impulse to go and grab Shinta around the throat. 'Best for me or best for you?' he muttered.

'Best for both of us, Ken,' Shinta replied, still smiling.

'Strange how you seem to know what's best without asking me first,' Kenshin said, bitterly.

Shinta didn't say anything; he had returned his attention back to the laptop, back to his plan…and Kenshin could bet anything that that plan involved Kaoru. He plopped down on the nearest couch.

Kaoru.

She had attracted his attention from the first time he had seen her. He saw her during the shoot-out in that warehouse. She hadn't known that he was watching her, and still didn't know. He had wanted to help her then…when that jerk came up behind her and grabbed her, he had wanted to jump out from his hiding place and help her…but he knew that if he did that, he'd be sealing her fate, he would be the cause of her death.

How?

It was complicated; but Kenshin had learned to study the consequences of he acts before attempting them. And in that case; he had seen many consequences. First of all, those thugs would've recognized him and would've been shocked to see their boss helping his enemy. Second of all, Kaoru and her friend would've shot him dead before he could've even done anything. Third of all, Shinta would probably have got wind of this and he'd have been really pissed…and would've gone and caused a mass murder as a way of expressing his anger…things would've certainly got ugly.

Shinta would have also gone and killed Kaoru, and he didn't want that to happen…

He didn't want Kaoru to get hurt…yet, he knew he would never accomplish that with Shinta around.

'Are you going to hurt Kaoru?' he asked suddenly.

Shinta looked up, and he seemed surprised. 'Hurt Kaoru?' he repeated, sounding incredulous. 'Why would I want to hurt such a sweet thing like Kaoru?'

'Don't act innocent, Shinta,' he hissed. 'That's exactly what you said ten years ago and yet you went and…'

'But, my dear Ken…' Shinta cut him off. 'That was because ten years ago you couldn't keep your mouth shut…but now, you've learned to do that, haven't you?'

Kenshin scowled at him. 'Yeah…I have,' he lied.

'Good,' Shinta said approvingly. 'Now, if you don't mind, I have some business to finish here…so I want you to keep your mouth shut now as well…understood?'

Again, Kenshin got the impulse to strangle his brother, but he contended himself with glaring at him.

-

Sano watched her as she bent over a folder which had placed upon a desk, her brow furrowed as she scribbled furiously on the papers within the plastic folder, ebony hair falling across her shoulders. She was totally oblivious to the fact that he was standing right next to her…and Sano found that amusing; the way some people can get too engrossed in their work to notice anything else of their surroundings.

He cleared his throat to draw attention to himself, and she jumped, looking quite startled. She looked up, with raised eyebrows, at him. 'Sano! You scared me!' she said accusingly.

'Sorry, he said, smiling apologetically. 'So…how are you doing, Dr. Takani?'

'I'm fine, I'm fine' she said. She frowned. 'What are you doing here, though? Don't tell me you went and got yourself shot again!!'

Sano held up his hands, as if to ward her away from him. 'No, I didn't get myself shot, no need to work up a steam for no reason,' he said quickly, and her features relaxed. 'I just dropped by to pay you a visit.'

Megumi blinked. 'Oh…well, that's very considerate of you, Sanosuke…thanks,' she murmured.

Sano propped himself up on the desk. 'So, how are you doing nowadays?' he asked.

'I told you…everything's fine,' she said. 'Things in the hospital couldn't have been better.'

'What about Izumi? We haven't heard from him in a while,' he said, smiling. 'Has he been up to his old ways lately?'

'I don't know,' she said quietly. 'I haven't talked to Izumi for days now.'

Sano frowned. 'How come?' he inquired. 'Aren't you two supposed to be together?'

'We aren't anymore,' Megumi said. 'I…I broke up with him…I told him that if he wasn't prepared to stop stealing, then there was no way I was going to stay with him, and he said he wouldn't be able to do that…so I broke up with him.'

He didn't know why, maybe because Megumi didn't look at him when she was talking, or maybe because her tone was low and she was stammering slightly, but Sano didn't feel that Megumi was being too honest with him. However, he didn't press on the subject. 'He's a jerk, anyway,' he said in an off-hand sort of manner. Megumi didn't say anything; she was twirling her pen between her fingers and looking down at her papers. 'Oh, I'm sorry! Am I keeping you from your work?'

'What? Oh, no!' Megumi said, smiling brightly, and closing her folder shut. 'I was already done!' She glanced at her wristwatch. 'In fact, I have a lunch break in five minutes.'

'Oh, good, then,' Sano said, looking relieved.

Megumi put her pen down, and looked at him, her cheeks slightly tinged with pink. 'If you didn't have any lunch yet…you could feel free to join me if you like,' she said quickly.

Sano grinned. 'Sure! I'd love to!' he agreed. 'My treat, though!'

'Of course,' Megumi said, smiling. 'Why else did you think I want you to come along?'

'Of course,' Sano echoed. He knew he liked her.

But that made him feel guilty all over again about Sayo. Was it right to be talking to Megumi? Wouldn't that be like an insult to Sayo? But Megumi was so interesting and so nice…he was finding it real hard not to like her. He watched as Megumi shrugged off her white uniform and placed it against the back of the chair. She was wearing an aquamarine blue, long-sleeved, V-neck t-shirt underneath, over a black skirt which reached a few inches above her knees. He was also finding it very difficult to ignore that fact that Megumi was one pretty lady.

She caught him staring at her, and he looked away quickly, hoping she wouldn't see the faint blush in his cheeks. 'Shall we go now?' she asked quietly.

'Wha…?' he said, caught off-guard for a moment. 'Oh, yes…yes, we shall.'

'Well, then…' she said, looking shyly at him.

'Do you know a good place where we could have lunch?' he asked quickly.

Megumi nodded. 'I know just the place,' she told him.

As they left the room, Sano felt his pocket in order to check that his wallet was still in there, and kept praying that he had enough money in it to feed two people…especially when the two here included him!

-

Kaoru was trying her best to suppress a wave of laughter which threatened to take over her, as she stared at the pair of university students sitting before her.

Misao was talking a mile a minute, while bobbing up and down on her couch-Kaoru knew it wasn't the effect of the coffee she had had, because Misao was always this hyper. Aoshi, on the other hand, was sitting quietly, nodding every now and then to register the fact that he was really listening to her talk. Misao had invited Aoshi over this afternoon, and she was hoping to make him get to know Kaoru better, and also spend some quality time with him. Yet, Kaoru had to admit that she had never seen two people more different from one another.

'…and then, if you'll believe it, he dozed off!!' Misao exclaimed. She had been entertaining them for the last fifteen minutes with funny incidents involving her math professor at the University. Kaoru wasn't able to understand every word of Misao's, because she was talking real fast, but she did laugh every time Misao stopped talking and started to laugh at her own words. 'Right while he was explaining the lesson! He was just sitting there, explaining something, and the next moment, we saw him nodding off at his desk!'

Kaoru laughed-this time it was for real, though-and Aoshi just nodded and smiled politely. She clapped her hands together. 'I know!' she said. 'I got a box of fudge brownies from the market today! How about I go get them?'

'That'd be a great idea!' Misao said, happily. 'I love fudge brownies!'

Aoshi didn't seem to think it was such a great idea, though. Maybe he thought that any more sugar would make Misao a lot more hyper than she already was. But seeing that Misao was happy about it, he didn't say anything on the matter. Kaoru got up and left the living room. She went to the kitchen, and pulled the fridge's door open. She leaned in and peered inside, looking for the box of brownies. She found it, pulled it out, and set about putting the brownies into plates.

She jumped as she felt something brush against her leg, nearly dropping a plate in the process. She looked down. 'Kenny! Don't do that!' she scolded the cat. Kenny just blinked innocently up at her, and started meowing loudly, his paw gently prodding her leg. Kaoru frowned. 'What is it? Your bowl needs a refill?'

Kenny just turned on his heels and padded out of the kitchen. Her frown deepening, Kaoru went after him. To her surprise, she found him heading right towards Misao's room. He slipped in through the small crack of the open door.

_What did Kenny want from Misao's room?_

Kaoru shot a glance at the living room's door; she could still hear Misao talking and laughing, before pushing the door and walking inside. 'Kenny?' she said softly, her hands moving around the walls in search for the switch. She found it, pressed it and the room was flooded with bright light. 'Here, kitty, kitty.'

'Meow!'

She looked around and saw Kenny by Misao's closet. He was up on his hind heels and was scratching against the wooden door of the closet, whining continuously. Kaoru stepped towards the closet and pulled the door open for Kenny. The cat jumped inside and came out moments later, holding something in his mouth. He meowed again, looking immensely pleased with himself.

Kaoru gasped as she realized what it was. She bent down, and with shaking hands, pried the gun out of Kenny's mouth. Why did Misao have a gun? University students don't require guns…or maybe Misao was just _not_ a university student after all?

Kaoru looked around the room, and for the first time she noticed that there weren't any books in the room…just that horror novel Misao had checked out of that library two days ago for a bit of bedtime reading. But weren't university students' rooms usually stacked with books and papers? So where were all Misao's things?

Still clutching the gun, she went to Misao's desk and started pulling out drawers. To her immense surprise, she found them empty. The little cupboard next to her bed. Empty. Her bureau drawers. Empty. There was just that photo of Aoshi she had seen the first day she had come in here lying on the bureau alongside a bottle of perfume. Her closet. No books or stationary, just a jumble of clothes which had been stacked untidily on the shelves and hung hastily on clothes' hangers.

_What the hell was going on here? _Kaoru started to feel panicky. _Where did Misao's stuff disappear to? Why was her room so empty? Why weren't any books in here?_

As a last resort, Kaoru decided to check underneath Misao's bed. She put the gun down on the bedspread and looked. She didn't know whether to feel relieved or upset when she found a large black box made of metal which had been shoved against the wall. With some effort, she managed to pull it out from underneath the bed. She wasn't surprised to find that the box had a lock on it. That didn't worry her, though; breaking codes to locks was a specialty of hers. She twisted the knob of the lock around, waiting to hear that certain click. She struck the first number; nine. Second number; two. Third number; five. Forth number; eight. Fifth number; one. The lock sprang open and she lifted up the lid of the box.

For the second time in five minutes, Kaoru gasped. The box was filled with pictures…pictures of her, that is. There was a picture of her in every likely pose; pictures of her sleeping, eating, sitting, talking, laughing, scowling…and to her horror and disgust; there were even pictures of her while in the shower. Hands shaking worse than ever, Kaoru pushed these aside and looked underneath them; the box was too deep, there were probably more than just photos in it.

She was right. There were tiny objects Kaoru realized to be cameras, there were other guns and stacks of bullets. There were all sorts of devices in here, ranging from the smallest electronic bug to the most complex computer. Kaoru took the small computer into her hands and booted it. The computer demanded a password of her, but before she could even type anything on the small keyboard, a shadow fell over her as some one stood in the doorway.

'What are you doing, Kaoru?' Misao said sharply.

Kaoru looked up at the towering figure of Aoshi above her, flanked by the petite Misao. They both looked beside themselves with unmistakable rage…and in Misao's case; a small amount of fear was visible in her eyes. She got up to her feet, clutching a small bunch of photos in one hand while grasping a gun she had dug out from the box with the other. 'What…are these?' she said in a shaky voice.

'That's none of your business, Kamiya-san,' Aoshi said quietly.

'What do you mean, it's none of my business?' she shouted angrily. 'It _is _my frigging damn business! These are all my pictures!!' She threw the pictures at Misao, but the girl didn't move. 'What the hell are these, Misao?'

'They're…' Misao said.

'And where are your study books? And where did you get all these guns from? And all these high-tech devices?' Kaoru interrupted, positively beside herself with anger. 'I didn't know students like you had access to such stuff! I demand an explanation!!'

Aoshi didn't move a muscle; he just kept her fixed in that icy stare of his. Misao was shifting uncomfortably; she looked like she wanted to say something, but looked terribly frightened of what Aoshi might do to her if she did.

'Speak up, dammit!' Kaoru said, and pointed the gun at them. 'I won't hesitate to use this gun if I don't get answers immediately! Who are you? What are you doing here? What do you want from me?'

There were a million questions swarming her head and those two creeps didn't seem to bother themselves with answering any single one of them.

'That gun isn't loaded,' Aoshi said, smirking.

'What?' Kaoru said, and looked at the barrel of the gun. She saw that, indeed, the gun wasn't loaded. When she looked up back again at them, her voice caught in her throat. They were both holding up guns and were pointing them directly at her head. She knew that one single wrong move would end her with a dozen bullets in her skull. Aoshi was smiling, his eyes dancing with excitement. Misao, however, looked reluctant with her gun. 'Who are you two?'

'Our identities do not stand of importance, Kamiya-san,' Aoshi said coolly. 'What's important is how much you found out by snooping around my partner's room.'

'Who are you?' Kaoru repeated. 'I want to know why there are about a thousand pictures of me in here…where you spying on me?'

Aoshi inclined his head in Misao's direction. 'Seems like she knows too much, doesn't she, Misao?' he said softly. Misao's turquoise eyes turned round and fearful, as she looked from Aoshi to Kaoru and to the gun in Aoshi's hand, and back again. Aoshi, now, directed his speech to Kaoru. 'I'm afraid you'll have to leave us, Miss Kamiya, you seem to know a lot.'

Kaoru tried her best not to look scared, although she knew that in a few moments' time, she'd be dead. What did she get herself into?

'Well, if you don't have anything to say, then I guess it's time to…' Aoshi said, pulling on the trigger.

_Here it comes…_

'Aoshi! No!!' Misao suddenly screamed, grabbing his arm. 'We're not supposed to harm her, remember? These were the orders!'

Aoshi looked exasperatedly down at her. 'Misao! She found out too much!' he told her. 'We just can't let her live!'

'He said no!' Misao pressed on, still clinging to his arm. 'He said not to harm her no matter what the circumstances were! We have to obey the orders!'

_He…? Did she mean Shinta? _Kaoru took this moment of distraction to retreat towards the bed. Maybe that gun Kenny found in the closet was loaded. She bent her knees and reached out to grab the gun…

'Don't move!' Aoshi said sharply.

'I…I just wanted to sit down,' she said.

'I said, don't move!' he repeated fiercely. He looked behind her to the bed and saw the gun. He smirked. 'Thought you could get the best of me, huh? Put your hands up where I can see them now…go on.'

Scowling, Kaoru slowly raised his arms. Aoshi, still pointing his gun at her, walked towards the bed and grabbed the gun lying there, and then he returned to his original position in the doorway. Misao tugged at his shirt. 'Aoshi, let's go,' she hissed urgently.

Aoshi nodded slowly. 'We'll see you soon, I suppose, Kamiya-san,' he said softly. 'Good bye.'

Pushing Misao in front of him, Aoshi smiled at Kaoru before closing the door. A distinctive sound of the key being turned told her that he had locked the door. Kaoru put down her hands and hurried to the door. She twisted the knob around but the door wouldn't budge; it was definitely locked. She pulled out a hair pin from her pocket and started working on the lock…maybe if she hurried, she'd still be able to catch up with them. But with her hands trembling so much she was finding it difficult to concentrate on the lock.

So Shinta had been keeping a close watch on her the entire time…at least, she thought it was Shinta…there wasn't any one else, was there? All the time, she had been thinking that she was safe…that Shinta hadn't come anywhere near her…she found out she was wrong. There seemed to be spies everywhere…she didn't know if she could trust any one else after this.

The sound of car tyres screeching as a car sped out onto the road told her Misao and Aoshi had escaped. She sighed in exasperation and cursed under her breath. She pulled the pin out of the key hole. Too late to do anything now. She had to calm down if she wanted to get out of here. She willed herself to cool down, to stop shaking. She started to breathe steadily, and returned to picking the lock.

'Meow?'

Kaoru looked down as Kenny brushed against her legs. She smiled down at him. 'It's okay, Kenny, I'm alright,' she said softly. 'If it weren't for you, I would've never found out about Misao.'

When she returned to her lock, Kaoru couldn't help but think that maybe Kenshin had actually given her his cat as some sort of protection. Kaoru smiled at the thought. Who knows? Maybe Kenny did have some sort of powers…after all; he was Kenshin's cat, wasn't he?

-

'Your passport, please?'

He put down his briefcase on the marble floor and took out his passport from his pocket. He handed it to the Customs' officer.

The officer flipped the passport open and looked down at the picture in it, before looking up at its owner to establish likeness. He seemed to be satisfied, because he turned to his computer and started entering details into it, his fingers flying rapidly over the keyboard.

The passport's owner stood patiently by the desk, humming gently to himself and looking around at the other passengers who had accompanied him in his flight from Japan. They all seemed to have come here on vacation. He had reached that conclusion because all the passengers seemed to be families of three or four or five...there had been too many children on the plane. They were very noisy, and that really annoyed him. He had to endure the noise all through the flight.

He, however, didn't come here on vacation. No; having fun and enjoying himself was the last thing on his mind. He had come here on very serious business. He had caught a waft of rumors in Japan and had to come here to make sure of those rumors himself…because if they were true, then he had to do something to stop them.

He was a kid the first time it happened, but now he was older, and he had the strength to do something. He was more prepared this time…

The officer entered the last of the details into the computer, stamped on the passport and handed it back to him. 'I wish you a pleasant stay in America, Mr. Yukishiro' the officer said, smiling.

Enishi Yukishiro took the passport, picked up his bag, nodded at the officer before walking off. Yes…it was going to be a pleasant stay indeed; after all, he was going to meet his brother-in-law, wasn't he?

**-**

**A/N: What did I tell you; didn't it have surprises or what? Please raise your hands those who expected Misao and Aoshi to be working for Shinta! And I know none of you expected Enishi to show up in the story, huh? Well, anyway, if you did like this chapter, then please press that small purple button and send me a review!**

**Oh, and by the way, I want to tell those readers who have read "My Guardian Angel"…yes, this is especially to you, Crewel…that I might continue with the story after all. So wait for it!**

**Oh, and wait for chappie 13!!**

_**- **S. N. B. _


	13. You Gotta Know Your Friends

**D/C: I don't own RK…do I have to repeat this every single time?!**

**Well, I'm back! Glad you all liked my twelfth chapter…gave you a bit of a shock, didn't it? And I suppose you're now all anxious to know what's gonna happen after Misao and Aoshi revealed their true colors and Enishi arrived…well, to know that, you gotta continue reading, right?...Damn! I hate blabbering without any reason! Ok, enough, go read the chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

**CHAPTER 13: You Gotta Know Your Friends**

'Shinomori…Shinomori…Shinomori…'

Kaoru frowned as she went through the records of criminals and culprits whose names began with an S. ever since Misao and Aoshi had revealed that they were actually spies for Shinta…actually, they didn't, but she kinda figured it out; after all, there was no other possibility…she had been searching none-stop for any past records about them, sightings, locations…everything…

She was basically looking for stuff on Aoshi, since Misao really didn't look like a person who'd have any past records…yeah, she knew that appearances could be deceiving, but she wanted to concentrate on the more evil-looking villain at the moment…

The problem was; she wasn't finding anything, and that really got her frustrated. She almost gave up hope at times, but all those pictures she had found in that box had given her an urge to continue. Another problem was that Shinomori and Makimachi might not be their real names, after all! Kaoru had considered the possibility, of course, but for the meantime, or rather, till she searched each and every file in the Agency, she was going to pretend that these were their real names.

She hadn't told Sano, let lone anybody else, about this, of course. It would rouse suspicions. People would be interested in why _she _was being spied on…why _her_ in particular?

Of course, it was kinda difficult to explain to Sano about where Misao had gone. In the end, she had told him that Misao had had it with his mean attitude and had decided to stay with another friend until he got a place of his own. She knew she was really harsh, but she had to come up with a believable excuse to get Sano off her back, though it pained her to see the hurt expression which had clouded his features when she had told him that.

She wondered if Kenshin knew about Misao and Aoshi…if he knew that they were spying on her…but then again, Kenshin would've told her if he knew about them, wouldn't he? Yes; he would. Kaoru liked to believe that she could trust Kenshin, and she knew that he'd tell her if he knew of anything that might endanger her life.

'Whatcha doing?'

Kaoru jumped and whirled around to have a look at her addresser. 'Cho!!' she exclaimed. 'You startled me!'

'Sorry,' the blond said, smiling apologetically. He nodded at her computer. 'Seems like a pretty serious research you're working on.'

'What? Oh!' Kaoru quickly minimized the window which was open on her monitor, and smiled at him. 'No, it's nothing, really.'

'Doesn't seem like nothing to me,' Cho replied. 'I was watching you, and you looked really grim about this research.'

Kaoru frowned. 'You've been watching me?' she asked suspiciously.

'You don't know how fun it is to watch people,' Cho told her, grinning. 'You are practically very enjoyable to watch…the way you scowl and tut and curse the computer and bang on it is really funny…my friends tell me it's a bad habit but I just can't help myself.'

Kaoru remained frowning. She tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. 'What are you doing here, anyway?' she asked. 'Why aren't you in your office?'

'I'm on my lunch break,' he said simply.

She frowned at him. 'So…? Why aren't you having lunch?' she asked.

Cho rubbed the back of his neck. 'Not hungry, had a big breakfast this morning,' he answered. 'So, what were you looking for? I can help you; I'm very good in researching and tracking down people and…'

'No, it's okay,' Kaoru interrupted him. She smiled at him. 'I'm doing well on my own…thanks, but I really don't need your help…I mean, I don't want to bother you,' she added hastily, thinking she might've been rude.

Cho shrugged. 'Well, alright,' he agreed. 'But if you need any help, just call on me, alright?'

'Yeah, okay,' she assured him, and watched as he made his way out of the office.

She turned back to her computer, and popped up the window in which she had been searching. She frowned for a moment…how much had Cho seen before she had put this away? And was Cho being honest with her in the first place? She pushed these thoughts out of her mind and set back on her research. She'll have time to worry about such matters later…now she needed to focus on finding Misao and Aoshi.

-

Misao really didn't like the way Aoshi was looking her. She had always wanted to make Aoshi proud of her; it had always been an obsession with her…but the look on his face told her that he was anything but proud. In fact, it told her that he was angry beyond reason.

'What did you do? Play with the cat with your gun or something?' he asked sharply.

Misao sighed. They had gone over this loads of times before in the last hour, and she was starting to get really tired of it. But Aoshi seemed to want to remind her that it was her fault their whole mission was screwed. 'I didn't think the cat would…' she started.

'You touched the problem…you didn't think. Actually, you never think,' Aoshi said, rather wearily. 'I really don't know what to do with you Misao…' Misao scowled. '…for now, I think you'd better call the boss and tell him about this…'

Misao grunted. She pulled out her cell phone and was just about to dial the number when the phone started to ring. She blinked in surprise as she read the name on the display, but answered it, anyway. 'Hello?' she said tentatively, while Aoshi shot her an inquiring look.

'You told me you found out something,' came the voice on the other end.

'Um…yeah, we did,' she admitted. She turned to look at Aoshi and mouthed, "It's the boss", to him. Then she spoke into the phone. 'We found out that…'

'Not here!!' the Boss hissed, and Misao blinked. The man cleared his throat. 'Are there any hotels near Miss Kamiya's apartment building?'

Misao frowned for a moment. 'Hotels?' she repeated, scratching her chin. 'Yeah, I think there's a small hotel nearby…'

'Good, then I want you to go book me a room in it,' the Boss instructed her. 'You'll wait for me there and fill me in.'

'But…why?' Misao sputtered. 'You aren't…you didn't…'

'Yes, Makimachi, I came to take matters into my hands now,' he told her. 'Tell me, you're still residing with Kamiya-san, aren't you?'

'Well…no…' she said timidly.

'No?' he repeated.

Misao shot a quick look at Aoshi, who was starting to look angry all over again, before turning her attention back to the phone. 'She...um...sorta found out we were spying on her and we had to bail,' she said apologetically. 'Don't worry, though, we've still got Hannya on her case.'

'She doesn't know about him yet?' the Boss asked.

'No…you know Hannya; he's master of stealth and disguise…he'd never get caught,' Misao said proudly.

The Boss sighed. 'At least one of you has got his priorities right,' he said. 'When I hired you I expected a job well done!'

Misao scowled; she didn't care if he was boss, he didn't have the right to talk to her like that! 'We're sorry, alright?' she said rather angrily. 'We did our best…besides, we haven't failed completely, Hannya's still on her track, and he _is_ a member of the Oniwubanshu!'

'I don't have time for this, Makimachi,' the Boss snapped. 'Just do what I told you and we'll discuss the complications you've created later.'

'Yes, sir,' Misao mumbled, and the man on the other end hung up. She turned to Aoshi, who had been waiting impatiently for her to finish talking on the phone. He shot her a questioning look, and she sighed. 'He says he's taking over.'

'He what?' Aoshi said incredulously. 'God! I told him we were handling it pretty well.'

Misao shook her head, looking glum. 'C'mon, we've got work to do,' she told him. 'Or we're gonna have a very angry boss on our case.'

-

When Kaoru walked into the house after an exhausting, eventless day at work and felt a bit surprised to find the place so quiet. Usually, Misao would usually come running to the door to greet her, shouting excitedly about what she had done that day and, recently, complaining about Sano. And of course, Kenny would come after her, meowing happily. The thought of Misao made Kaoru's insides burn with anger. She couldn't believe that Misao was actually spying on her the whole time. She had really liked Misao, she considered her a friend. She supposed that all that friendly attitude of Misao's was just an act, and that made her furious.

But where was Kenny?

_Probably sleeping…_

And Sano?

_Probably outside hunting for Kenshin..._

Sano hadn't showed up at the Agency again today, and nobody was saying anything about it since they were all feeling sympathetic towards him. She felt like she had to talk to him, though, to tell him that he couldn't keep using the Captain's death an excuse to avoid the people at the Agency. She kicked off her shoes and trudged over to her bedroom. But for now, she really needed a rest herself…

Since she was busy unbuttoning her jacket, she nudged the door open with her foot and walked inside.

'Hello,'

Kaoru froze. She slowly looked up from the button she was working on and stared at the man who was sitting on her bed with Kenny on his lap. For a moment, she didn't say a word as she continued to stare at the man. He had white hair and cold brown eyes. His straight nose held up full-moon spectacles. He wore a dark suit, and right now, he was smiling at her. She finally found her voice. 'Who are you?' she said quietly, the tone of her voice quivering.

The man set Kenny down on the bed sheets, stood up and held out a hand, smiling broadly. 'Enishi Yukishiro, and might I say what an honor it is to finally meet you, Kamiya-san?' he said, still holding out his hand. Kaoru stared at him when he mentioned her name. 'Yes, I know everything about you, Kamiya-san.'

'What do you want?' she asked sharply.

'Well, I was hoping you'd help me,' Enishi said sweetly, dropping his hand to his side since Kaoru didn't make an attempt to shake it.

Kaoru almost laughed out loud. 'Excuse me? You break into my apartment and go into my room…and expect me to help you?' she said incredulously.

'You didn't even ask what I want help with,' he pointed out.

Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him. 'I'm guessing it isn't your Math homework?' she said coolly.

Enishi smiled, apparently amused. 'No, it isn't,' he admitted. He clasped his hands behind his back and started walking back and forth before her. 'I know that you and Kenshin Himura have some kind of relationship…a relationship which exceeds an FBI Agent-Assassin connection.'

Kaoru tried not to appear surprised at his knowledge. 'And…?' she prompted him.

'Well, I'm looking for Himura, myself; we got some old business we've got to clear…' Enishi informed her. 'Problem is, I don't know where he is…my brother-in-law had always been quite discreet about his whereabouts.'

_Brother-in-law? Kenshin is married? _Kaoru failed to hide her surprise this time. 'Brother-in-law?' she blurted out.

'Why, yes…Himura was my sister's husband…but that's an old story, I'm sure Himura would love to tell it to you some time,' Enishi said, smirking slightly. 'Meanwhile, I need you to tell me where he is at the moment,'

'What gives you the impression that I would know where Kenshin is?' Kaoru asked.

'Well, seeing as you're quite intimate, I thought…' he said, his smirk widening.

Kaoru scowled. 'What goes between me and Kenshin is none of your business, Mr. Yukishiro,' she said sharply. 'And I'm afraid I can't help you since I know nothing of Kenshin's whereabouts…so, if you please, I want you to leave my apartment or I'll have to call the police…I have some friends in the police who'd be more than willing to help me and chuck you in jail.'

'Now, now, there's no need to get violent,' he said in a warm, soothing voice. 'I just came here seeking for help; I had no intentions of causing you any harm.'

'And I told you I can't help you,' Kaoru replied. 'I really don't see why you should stay here any longer, Mr. Yukishiro.'

'Well, I was thinking of offering you some help myself,' he said pleasantly. And then his expression turned serious all of a sudden and he fixed her in his gaze. 'I feel that I'm compelled to warn you of Himura, Kamiya-san.'

'Warn me?' she said, frowning.

'Most of the people who had crossed Himura's path had ended up in graveyards…a lot of people had suffered on Himura's hands,' Enishi told her, all signs of smiles vanishing from his face. 'There will never be a good outcome of a connection with Himura.'

_Shinta, not Kenshin! It's Shinta who did all that!_, she wanted to scream, but kept silent. 'And your point is?' she said casually.

'I really think you shouldn't continue seeing Himura…you should forget about him,' Enishi advised her.

'And how does that concern you?' Kaoru said coldly. Who was this guy to come and interfere in her personal matters?

'I just don't want you to get hurt,' he told her. 'I don't want you to start regretting this when it's already too late.'

'I assure you I'm perfectly sure of what I'm doing, and I don't need any sort of advice from you,' Kaoru said with the same coldness.

Enishi shrugged. 'I guess I can't change the way you think,' he said, sounding slightly exasperated.

'No, you can't,' she said. 'Now, if you don't mind, I want you to get out of my room, and out of my house.'

Enishi nodded his head slightly. 'As you wish, Kamiya-san,' he agreed, and Kaoru found that his manners strongly reminded her of an English butler she saw in one movie. 'But don't forget that I did warn you.'

'Don't worry, I won't,' Kaoru said irritably. 'Now leave.'

She accompanied him to the door, opened it and gestured for him to get out. He stepped out of the apartment. He looked back at her and opened his mouth to say something, but Kaoru quickly shut the door, blocking off his words. She sighed wearily and leaned against the door. A sound of feet going down the stairs told her Enishi was gone…yet, she had the feeling that this wasn't the last she was going to see of him.

_Why? Just why does everything happen to me?_

-

Sano had so far visited every single criminal's hideout, hangout, grouping centre…and had so far found nothing. Nobody seemed to know anything about Himura…as a matter of fact, most of them didn't want to say anything about the subject, they all looked exceptionally scared of the guy. In his frustration, he had gone and downed a can of beer and headed back home. He would've drunk more if it weren't for the fact that he knew he needed to drive to get back home. Sano prided himself in being able to control his drinking urge and being able to stop drinking whenever he wanted.

He passed the hospital in which Megumi worked and stop by for a while; maybe she will be able to ease his frustration a little bit…since he knew that once he got home, Kaoru will start scolding him about skipping work and giving him lectures about it…and that would do everything but cool him down. He parked his car and went into the hospital building. It wasn't difficult for him to spot Megumi, seeing as she was the prettiest doc around.

'Hello, doc,' he said, grinning.

Megumi, who was standing in a corner frowning over her clipboard, looked around, expecting to see a patient. She smiled when she saw him. 'Sanosuke! Hi!' she exclaimed, but then she frowned again. 'What is it this time?'

Sano sighed, exasperated. 'Why is it that every time I come here you assume that I got shot or something?' he demanded.

'You are Sano, what else should I expect?' she said, raising her eyebrows at him.

'Good point,' he said, grinning again.

'So, if you didn't come here to experience our medical care and facilities, why'd you come then?' she asked.

'I was on my way home and decided to drop by,' he told her. 'Got any time to spare or are you busy?'

Megumi noticed he was looking at the clipboard in her hands, and she immediately put it down. She smiled. 'You're in luck,' she told him. 'I have a fifteen minute break now.'

'Really? Great!' he exclaimed. 'Why don't we go talk over some coffee then? Do they sell coffee in the hospital's cafeteria?'

'Yeah, they do,' Megumi said, feeling somewhat relieved that Sano hadn't noticed that she always had breaks when he was around, since she only took breaks when he was there.

'Good,' he said, smiling. 'Will your highness care to join me, then?'

'Your treat?' Megumi inquired.

'Of course,' he said.

They both led the way to the hospital's cafeteria, and took a table by the far corner of it. A waiter approached them and they both ordered.

Megumi was positively horrified by Sano's order. 'Cappuccino, and chocolate muffins, and a chocolate pie, and a treacle tart?' she said in a high-pitched tone. 'Do you know how many calories all that stuff contains? Do you know that they might be the cause of you getting a heart attack?'

Sano was alarmed by her reaction. 'They were only chocolate,' he said weakly.

'If you don't start caring about your health, Sanosuke, then I'll have to look after you,' she snapped, before she realized what she had said. Her cheeks became slightly tinged with pink, and she put a hand to her mouth. 'I meant…'

'Thank you,' Sano said softly.

'What?' she said, more loudly than she intended it to come out.

'Thank you…for wanting to look after me,' he said, a small smile touching his lips.

'Um…yeah, that,' she said, nervously tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. 'Well…uh, your welcome.'

She didn't say anything though when Sano started working on the sweets he had ordered. She even accepted half the chocolate pie he had offered to her…since she had only offered a mug of coffee, herself. In other words, she didn't bring up the topic of health again.

-

Sano left the hospital half an hour later, his spirits definitely higher than they had been when they had gone into it. Megumi had really had a great effect on him. He hopped into his car, revved the engine and pulled out of the hospital's parking lot. He hummed gently to himself as he drove back to Kaoru's apartment.

'Stop it, I hate that tune,'

Sano swore out loud and his car swayed dangerously on the road. He struggled to maintain control over the stirring wheel. When he did, he pulled over to the sidewalk and whirled around to stare at the occupant of his backseat…how he didn't notice the man sitting there, Sano didn't know.

'What the hell are you doing in my car? And who the hell are you?' Sano demanded, furiously.

'Tsk, tsk,' the man said irritably. 'Manners, Sagara-san.'

Sano ignored the white-haired man's knowledge of his name. 'Who are you?' he said through gritted teeth.

'The name's Enishi Yukishiro,' the man said. 'I've heard you've got a particular interest in a man called Kenshin Himura, and I believe I could be of great help.'

Sano just stared wordlessly at the man.

-

**A/N: So, how was it? Bit short but I promise an interesting twist of events in the next one, I know you'll like it. I'm really proud of this chappie though…if you've noticed, I've started using punctuation marks!! (Yes, I have finally mastered the art of punctuation marks!) by the way, I found out that double quotations aren't necessary…I've been reading Harry Potter, and I saw they had single quotations all throughout.**

**Until next week, please review…and if you have time, maybe you could check out the story I co-wrote with my friend…please? It's called "Got Cake?" **

_**- **S. N. B. _


	14. The Secret is Out

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…if I did, I wouldn't be sitting here writing this fic.**

**Thanks for all your nice reviews…they really got me going on writing this chapter. And without further ado, I present to you, CHAPTER 14!! Er…just read, will you? Enjoy!!**

**CHAPTER 14: The Secret is Out**

Kaoru stood in the doorway of her room with her hands on her hips. She had been searching the whole apartment for any missing objects ever since that man, Enishi Yukishiro had left. She really didn't think he had come here to steal anything…he didn't look like one who needed to steal, with his dark suit and sophisticated look and everything…but she wanted to check just the same, and so far, everything she owned was still in its place.

She knew she should call up some one the Agency or even the police station to report this break-in, but that would lead to awkward questions, and she really didn't want to have to answer to them. She wanted to talk to Kenshin. He would know what was going on. He would have answers to her questions about Misao and Aoshi, he would tell her who Enishi Yukishiro is and the reason he was after him, he would explain why Enishi called him his brother-in-law, he would tell her who his sister is, he…

Problem was: she didn't know how to contact him, and Kenshin, himself, had talked to her in three days now.

She sighed, exasperated, and walked to her bed. She slumped down on it, and Kenny jumped onto her lap. She stroked it absently underneath its chin, thinking about Enishi's warning; he must've gone through some kind of painful ordeal, or he wouldn't have warned her. And besides, how did Enishi know her name or location? As far as she knew, she had never heard of or seen Enishi before in her life.

Upon hearing Kenny whining in her lap, she looked down and saw him tugging against his collar. Frowning, she unbuckled it for him and removed it from around his neck; why was Kenny complaining from his collar _now_?

She turned it around in her hands, feeling around for anything which might've irritated her cat. She found it. A tiny disk-like object was attached on the back of the collar. She scrapped it off with her nail and examined it closely. She gasped when she realized what it was. An electronic bug! Enishi surely must've attached it before she had arrived, and that would probably explain why he had Kenny on his lap when she first came in.

Seething with anger, she crushed the bug between her fingers. First Misao and Aoshi, and now Enishi…She looked around the room. Had Enishi scattered any more bugs around here? Come to think of it, maybe Misao had also scattered some bugs and little cameras of her own around here…yeah, that would explain how she got all those pictures…

She found the idea extremely alarming, and decided she had to scrap down the room immediately. She couldn't have those creeps eavesdropping on her every single minute. She was just about to start when the phone rang. She went and picked it up. 'Hello? Kaoru Kamiya speaking,' she said.

'Hello, Kaoru,'

Kaoru almost toppled off of the bed. 'Kenshin!!' she exclaimed. 'Oh, thank goodness!! I've been wanting to talk to you! So many things happened, you won't believe it! My roommate and her boyfriend turned out to be spies, a guy called Enishi Yukishiro broke into my…'

'Wait, did you say Enishi?' he asked sharply.

'Yeah,' Kaoru said slowly. She leaned back against the pillows. 'He warned me against you, Kenshin…and he mentioned something about you having a wife, and…'

'Not here, Kaoru,' Kenshin interrupted her. 'You never know if your phone line's being watched.'

'You're right, I really didn't think of that possibility,' she admitted. 'But I need to talk to you, Kenshin! I need answers! I have about a million questions in my head and they're going to drive me crazy if I don't get answers for them!!'

'Calm down, Kaoru, please,' Kenshin said softly. 'You want answers and I will give them to you…how about you and I meet today so I can explain? Not the park, though. We don't want to risk having eavesdroppers around.'

'You didn't seem to mind before,' Kaoru commented.

'That was before the guard started noticing an activity in the park every night after midnight,' Kenshin said, sounding slightly amused.

'You go there every…?' Kaoru started to ask.

'How about you come and meet me at the old fire station? It's deserted now, no one will see us there,' he told her.

'Alright, if you say so,' she agreed. 'I'll go there immediately.' And with that, Kaoru hung up the phone. She looked down at Kenny, who had followed her to the living room when she went to pick up the phone. She smiled at him. 'I'm finally getting some answers, Kenny!' she said happily.

-

Sano was in a state of shock. He couldn't believe it. All that time, he had believed Kaoru to be his friend, to be on the good side…but after what Enishi had told him, he wasn't so sure about that anymore. Enishi had told him that Kaoru and Himura were friends, that they met each other in secret and had even gone out together once and had kissed on that particular date. He had told him that Kaoru had been warning Himura from him all along, that she had been telling him about the measures the Agency had taken to capture him and…

Sano had trouble believing what the guy Enishi had told him. In fact, he didn't believe him at first. But he had to when he pulled out a wad of pictures from the pocket of his coat and threw them onto his lap. Upon looking at them, he saw that they were all pictures of Himura and Kaoru.

It was too much for him.

He didn't know what to think. Was Kaoru a traitor? Was she working for Himura or something? But then again, Kaoru had always been devoted to her work; she can't have possibly gone bad…it was just too unfeasible to believe. He had known her for years, and she never seemed like someone who'd go bad. He was distracted from his thoughts as he approached the apartment building, and saw Kaoru rushing out through the gate and to the parking lot. He screeched to a halt, and pulled close to a curb not far from the building. He waited.

Moments later, he saw Kaoru's car leave the parking lot, and he decided to follow her. He had decided he was going to keep a close eye on Kaoru, and he might as well start now. _Where are you going, Kaoru? To another secret meeting with Himura, perhaps?_

He pulled out after her. Kaoru seemed to be in a real hurry, and she didn't seem to notice that somebody was following her. _That's what you get when you let your guard down, _Sano thought, shaking his head. Kaoru led him into an area which looked oddly familiar, although he couldn't decide for sure where he had seen it before…but Kaoru seemed to know where she was going, and he was going to continue to follow her. Finally, when an old fire station came into view, he remembered why the place looked familiar; this was the place where they had first tracked Himura down.

Kaoru parked her car quickly beside it and hurried into the building. Sano, however, parked his car a good distance away from it, just in case Kaoru left before him and saw the car and started wondering what it was doing here. He went inside, pushing the door open gently as he did. He was starting to wonder where he'd have to look to find Kaoru, when he heard her voice.

'…he was sitting in my room, and he started asking me questions about you and your hideout, and when I told him that I don't know anything about your location…' she was saying.

_Who was she talking to? Himura, maybe?_

Sano pulled out his gun and followed her voice, which was echoing through the empty corridors, and it led him straight into an empty room…empty except for the two figures standing in its middle. Sano hid by the door frame and peered into the room.

He saw Kaoru…and he saw…

Sano nearly cried out in astonishment. It was Himura…

So what Enishi had told him was true. Kaoru had betrayed them; she was working with the enemy…and the particular enemy who had killed the Captain. Sano's grip around his gun tightened.

-

'Kenshin, do you know him? Do you know Enishi Yukishiro…in person, I mean?'

Kaoru looked into Kenshin's violet orbs, searching them for answers, but there was nothing. She felt like crying; Kenshin had told her she was going to get her answers, but he was keeping silent, he was letting her do the talking and he was doing the listening, when, in her opinion, it should've been the exact opposite.

'Kenshin!' she said, impatiently. 'What's wrong? Why aren't you answering any of my questions?'

Kenshin held up a hand to silence her. 'Hold on, Kaoru, I'm just doing some thinking,' he said quietly.

'But I need answers, Kenshin,' she pleaded.

'We all need answers, Kaoru,'

Kaoru jumped. It wasn't Kenshin who had spoken, it wasn't his voice…this voice belonged to…'Sano!! What are you doing here?' she cried.

'Funny, I was about to ask you the exact same thing,' Sano said sharply. He was glaring at Kenshin with pure hatred. Kenshin was looking back at him, his face quite expressionless. 'What are you doing here, Kaoru? What are you doing here with _him_?'

'No, Sano, it's not what it seems…' she started.

'It's not what it seems?' Sano repeated, incredulously. He had his gun pointed at Kenshin, but it was dangerously teetering towards her. 'Kaoru, I saw you standing here talking with Himura…who I may remind you is the one who killed Captain Sagara…what am I supposed to think?'

'Sano, please! I can explain!' she said, desperately.

Sano was looking absolutely livid; she doubted she would have enough time to make him listen to her. 'You are expected to turn such people in, Kaoru, to catch them and send them to jail! Not stand here talking and doing smoochies with them!' he said furiously.

'Smoochies, what…?' she said, and then comprehension dawned upon her face. 'Who told you about that?'

'Never mind who told me, what's important is that you are being _over _friendly to the enemy, Kaoru,' Sano hissed.

Kaoru shot a helpless look at Kenshin, before turning back to her friend. 'He's not the enemy, Sano,' she told him. 'We've all been led to believe that he's the evil guy around here, but he's not, he has a twin, his name is Shinta, he's the bad guy.'

'I don't have time to listen to such rubbish, Kaoru,' Sano snapped. 'Twin? Please!'

'No, it's the truth!' Kaoru cried. 'Sano, you've got to believe me!'

'Stand aside, Kaoru,' Sano said, sharply, as he placed his hand on the trigger. 'I'm gonna finish this once and for all.'

'No!!' Kaoru shouted. She stood in front of Kenshin, using her body as a shield to protect him. 'I won't allow you! You can't kill him, Sano! You just can't!'

'Kaoru, what's wrong with you?' Sano demanded, angrily. 'Why are you protecting him? He deserves to die.'

'No, Sano! You've got to listen to me! I can explain!' she cried, tears brimming in her eyes.

'I think you've done enough explaining for now, Kaoru,' Kenshin said quietly from behind her, and this was the first time he had spoken since Sano walked into the room. Kaoru started to turn around to look at him, but felt something jab sharply against her back. She cried out in surprise. 'Don't move, Kaoru, or you'll see how effectively I can use my gun.' His eyes flicked towards Sano. 'And you, too, don't move, or I kill your little friend here.'

'Kaoru!' Sano shouted fearfully.

'Don't…move,' he repeated quietly.

Kaoru felt her mouth go dry. 'But, Kenshin…' she croaked.

'I'm not Kenshin, stop calling me that!' he snapped.

'Shi-Shinta?' she said hoarsely.

'Yes…Shinta,' he said, silkily. 'I had a feeling you knew about me, just like I had the feeling Kenshin was lying to me the whole time…'

Kaoru's heart thudded loudly against her chest. She felt really stupid. She hadn't even considered the possibility that it was Shinta who called her, and not Kenshin. She had let down her guard, and look where that got her. Her eyes met Sano's, and they both could read the fear in each other's eyes. Kaoru mouthed, "I'm really sorry" at him, and he shook his head just a fraction.

'You bastard,' she hissed.

'Manners, Kaoru, manners,' Shinta sneered. He stroked her face with his free hand, and she shuddered at his touch. 'Now, I really appreciated you defending me, and I have the pleasure of telling you that you're gonna be doing more of that for a while.'

Kaoru perfectly understood what he meant. Shinta was going to take her as a hostage. He was going to use her as his ticket to getting out of this place, and maybe even this town…that mad her insides boil with anger.

'Why, you…you won't take Kaoru anywhere!!' Sano shouted angrily, starting to move towards them.

'I said, don't move,' Shinta said quietly, jabbing the gun sharply into Kaoru's back, and wrapping his other arm around her abdomen, pinning both her arms to her sides to the process. 'You don't want your friend here to get hurt, do you?'

Sano stopped moving, and gritted his teeth. 'If you lay one finger on her…' he started.

'You are really in no position to threaten me, Mr. Sagara,' Shinta said coldly. 'I don't suppose you've forgotten how nasty I could be?'

Kaoru knew what he meant. He was talking about the Captain. She saw Sano's face turn into a mask of anger. 'You bastard!!' he snarled. 'You cold-blooded bastard! Killing the Captain wasn't enough for you, was it? You have to kill more people to keep yourself happy, isn't that right?'

'Yes, that's perfectly correct,' Shinta said calmly. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I have a very important appointment, and I need to be going now, and Miss Kaoru needs to come with me, too.'

'No!' Kaoru cried, struggling to break free of his grasp. 'You won't take me anywhere with you!'

Shinta's grip around her tightened, and he gave her another sharp jab with his gun. 'Be silent!!' he hissed.

'Sano, help!' she cried out, as Shinta started to pull her towards the door.

'Kaoru!' Sano shouted, making another attempt to go towards them.

'Don't move!!' Shinta barked. 'Why do you make me repeat myself so much? Now move away from the door so we can get out!'

'You…' Sano rasped.

'Move!' Shinta shouted again.

Sano obediently, but apparently in a strained sort of way, moved away from the door. Shinta walked backwards out through the door, Kaoru thrashing helplessly in his arms. All her years of training, all her FBI experience was left behind in that empty room. She felt just like any other normal girl, trying but without any success to break free out of her captor's grasp. She felt really ashamed of herself.

Shinta kept going backwards to the main door, his eyes fixed on the door of the room where the just had been. 'Don't come out of there if you know what's good for you, Sagara,' he called out. He hurried her out of the door, and pushed her into her car into the driver's seat, and climbed up beside her on the passenger seat. He pressed the gun to her side. 'Drive.'

'You'll never gat away with this,' Kaoru hissed.

'Drive,' he repeated. Hands shaking, Kaoru put the key into its place and turned on the engine. She pulled up onto the road. 'Go to the airport. We're going to Japan…miss your home country, Kaoru? I hope you miss it enough, because we're going there for a long stay.'

-

'What's happening now, Misao? What's going on? What's Himura doing?'

Enishi paced around his hotel room, his cell phone pinned to his ear by one hand, and held his other hand behind his back.

'He's dragging Kaoru out of the place…he still has that gun pointed at her,' Misao's voice came from the other end of the line. 'He's shouting something at Sano…I think he's threatening him, because Sano isn't making an attempt to go after them.'

'Damn! He's taking her as a hostage!' Enishi hissed. 'I warned her away from Himura, but she just wouldn't listen!'

'Really? You mean you went over to her place and warned her?' Misao said, interestedly. 'But I thought it didn't matter to you if Himura killed her, I thought you just wanted her alive so she could lead us to him.'

'Never you mind!' Enishi snapped. 'You just tell me what's going on!'

Enishi wasn't about to let Misao know that the reason he went and warned Kaoru was because he cared for her…she'd start teasing the hell out of him. She had given him enough trouble already…for starters, she didn't allow him their service until after he had paid a huge sum of money for it, and then she had been the cause of Kaoru finding out that they were spying on her. He wished he could talk to Aoshi on the phone, but the guy was silent most of the time, and let Misao do the talking.

He couldn't deny that Misao had her uses, too. For example, if it weren't for her, he would have never got to know about Kaoru. Misao was the one who had looked up on the agents in the FBI Agency and found out that Kaoru was living in an apartment and was looking for a roommate. Misao sent him loads of pictures of Kaoru and Himura, she had told him about Kaoru's life and daily activities…these weren't necessary, but after he had seen the first picture of Kaoru, he had requested that information from Misao. He found Kaoru really interesting, and he didn't want her to get harmed in anyway.

Especially not by Himura.

'Himura is pushing her into her car, he went in beside her…he's telling her to drive, I guess,' Misao was telling him. 'Yes…yes…and they're off!'

'What are you waiting for, then?' he said angrily. 'Follow them!'

'Wait…Sano is coming out of the building now, I can't let him see me,' Misao snapped. '…ok, he's getting into his car…and he's gone after them.'

'Ok, now GO!' he ordered them.

'Alright, alright! Jeez! You're grouchy today, aren't you?' she said irritably. 'C'mon, Aoshi, let's go before he starts ripping our throats out. We've reached the car…we're getting in…'

Enishi had to exercise a lot of self-control to stop himself from shouting at Misao; he didn't really want to anger her, he knew she'd call the whole deal off if she got upset. 'Stick to the important details, Misao,' he said sharply.

'Ok, we're off…Aoshi's driving…I can't drive while talking to you, I might be seen and then we'll get a ticket…' Misao said.

'Misao!' Enishi said angrily.

'Ok, I'll stop,' she agreed, giggling. 'Ok, I can see Sano's car up ahead…speed up a little bit, Aoshi…and yes, I can see Himura's car…'

Enishi was so absorbed in his conversation with Misao, he didn't notice when the door to his room opened and a man stepped in, closing the door behind him. 'Can you guess where they're heading? Does the route seem familiar to you?' he asked urgently.

'Not really,' Misao said slowly. Enishi resumed his pacing, and that's when he saw him. His eyes widened in shock. 'We're still in the alleyway, I really don't know where he's taking us. Hey, maybe he's leading us to the hide-out!' Enishi didn't say anything; he just kept staring at the man standing before him. 'Enishi? Boss?'

'Misao, are you absolutely sure it's Himura who's in the car with Kamiya-san?' Enishi said urgently.

'Yeah, I'm sure,' Misao said, sounding slightly puzzled. 'Why?'

'Keep on eye on him,' Enishi instructed her. 'I'll get back at you in a while.' He ended the call and stared intently into the man's face. 'Himura?'

'Hello, Enishi, it's been a long while,' Kenshin said pleasantly.

'But…how?' he sputtered. 'You are in the car with Kaoru…how can you be at two places in the same time?'

'Come on, Enishi…I know you weren't always that bright…but put two and two together, will you?' Kenshin said rather impatiently. 'I think it's really obvious.'

'Is that other guy wearing a mask or something? Did you hire him to kidnap Kamiya-san?' Enishi demanded.

'Kidnap Kaoru?' he repeated, frowning. 'I never…oh, damn!'

If Enishi wasn't so confused and slightly freaked out, he would've directly pulled out his gun and shot Himura down, but he couldn't master the will to do it. 'What the hell is going on, Himura?' Enishi snapped. 'I think you'd better start talking…I've got my spies on your...or whoever that is…tail and they say you're in the car with Kaoru…but now here you are, standing in my room!'

'Enishi, don't you see?' Kenshin said in a reasonable tone. 'I've got a twin.'

Enishi stared at him for a moment, and then burst out laughing. 'A twin? A twin?' he said incredulously. Kenshin was totally unfazed by Enishi's laughter. 'You can't possibly have a twin! I mean, how come we never heard or him before? How come we never saw him?'

'Because he never wanted to be known or heard of, Enishi,' Kenshin explained.

'Wait, are you trying to tell me…?' Enishi said, all signs of laughter fading away. '…that it was never really you? It wasn't you who…'

'No, Enishi, it wasn't me,' Kenshin said gravely.

Enishi's face turned into a mask of anger and hatred. 'You're such a bastard, Himura!' he snapped, reaching into his pocket for his gun. 'You did what you did and then you go and put the blame on some imaginary person? You're sick, I'm telling you! You're sick! I saw you when you…when you…don't deny it, Himura! It was you!'

Kenshin remained calm when Enishi pointed his gun at him. 'Enishi, what happened before was really unfortunate…I don't deny that I share its blame…' he said quietly. '…but it wasn't me…how else would you explain me being in two places at the same time?'

'That other one could be an imposter…he could be wearing a mask or something…' Enishi said, his hand shaking slightly. 'I've been hunting for you since ages, Himura, don't think you're going to escape me with one sneaky little lie!'

'But you're not sure I'm lying, are you, Enishi?' Kenshin said, smiling shortly. 'And don't you think Kaoru would've realized it was an imposter she was talking to, and not the real me? Don't you think she would've recognized the differences in our voices? Don't you see, Enishi? It was my twin, Shinta, she was talking to…and that's why she didn't notice the difference.'

Enishi faltered a bit. 'I…no, it's not true,' he croaked. 'It can't be…a twin?'

Kenshin nodded. His expression changed. 'Did you say Shinta kidnapped Kaoru?' he said sharply.

'Yeah…my people are tracking him down,' Enishi said distractedly. 'Himura…if what you're saying is true, because I don't believe you yet…I won't believe you till I see the two of you together with my own eyes…we've got to go help Kaoru, so she won't end up like Tomoe, you understand me, Himura?'

'Yes,' Kenshin said, his expression grave.

-

Sano sped after Kaoru's car, his head buzzing with all the events of this night. Everything just happened so quickly; there was Yukishiro and him sitting in a pub, and Yukishiro was telling him all about Kaoru and Himura…and then there was he following Kaoru…and then there was he confronting Kaoru…and then Himura said something about him not being Kenshin, but Shinta, and even though he didn't understand any of this, Kaoru seemed to have understood…and finally, here he was in a fast car chase on the nearly empty road, with only the thought of rescuing Kaoru in his head.

…and of course, the thought of grabbing Himura by the throat and strangling him for what he did to Captain Sagara.

He never noticed that he, too, was being kinda followed. Sano raised his speed to a further ten kilometer per hour, and started approaching closer to Kaoru's car. When he became close enough, Sano crashed into the bumper of Kaoru's car, mentally apologizing to Kaoru for any damage caused to her car. He saw both Kaoru and Himura lurch forward, and then Himura whipped around and glared angrily at him, and then he…

Sano had to duck to avoid the bullet which Kenshin fired at him, and to shield his face from the shower of glass which fell upon him. He tried to maintain control over the stirring wheel, and looked up again. Himura was now leaning out of the window; Sano only had one moment to figure out what Himura was doing. Himura fired a bullet at the front right tyre of his car. Sano let out a gasp of horror as he felt his car starting to sink.

'Dammit!' he hissed.

Just when he thought things couldn't possibly get worst than a smashed glass pane and a deflated tyre, Himura fired another bullet at the other right tyre. He smiled in a triumphant sort of way before putting his head back inside. Sano swore under his breath as the car started to sway dangerously on the road. It was difficult for him to stir the wheel properly while two of his tyres deflated when he was going at a speed of 200 km/hr.

The car spun 180 degrees around until it was screeching horizontally across the road, and then something crashed into Sano's side of the car. It skidded on the road for a little more, and then it stopped altogether. Sano's had been thrown into the passenger seat next to him by the force of the impact, and now he sat up looking dazed, with some cuts over his arms and face due to the pieces of broken glass, but nothing really serious.

He found it incredible that he had survived this. He looked around to see what hit him. It was another car, just as he presumed. He stared into the face of the passengers, and was surprised to find that he actually knew one of the two.

'Misao?' he said, confused.

In the other car, Misao sat staring at Sano's face, which was staring back at her from amidst the wrecked car. Then she looked at Aoshi. 'Look what you've done! I told you to slow down a bit!' she said furiously.

'Well, excuse me, but you can't slow down immediately after you've been going at 200 kilometer pr hour, Misao…and do remind me who told me to speed up in the first place?' Aoshi said quietly.

'No, you excuse me…I have to call the boss now,' Misao said, deciding it was better to change the subject than start an argument. She dialed up Enishi's number. 'Hello, Enishi? I don't care whether this is a good time or not…I just wanted to tell you that Himura's gone…we lost him.'

-

**A/N: Ok, how was that? Was it interesting enough for you? It's just that one reviewer said the story was getting less interesting, and so…anyway, I really hoped you liked this chappie! The next one is gonna probably answer most of your questions; maybe even the question about how Kenshin got his scar…so be sure not to miss it! And those people who read and do not review, I'm asking you to review!!!...please! (Must remember my manners!!) I want to know what you think!**

_**- **S. N. B. _


	15. His Scar

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…**

**I'm back! Thank you all for the nice reviews! I've been kinda busy coz of the arrival of my new baby brother, but I managed to finish my chappie just the same…I hope you like it! Oh, and before you start reading, this chappie is all about what happened between the Himura twins ten years ago…just saying so that you won't get confused with the chapter!**

**CHAPTER 15: His Scar**

_10 years ago in Japan…_

In the peaceful countryside of Japan, a young woman wearing a traditional Japanese kimono made of pure white, sat on the front porch of her traditional Japanese house.

Tomoe Yukishiro had always been a great believer of tradition. The death of her parents in a car accident and the growing technology around her hadn't made her change her ideas about tradition. She believed that traditions were to be kept, and not forgotten.

In her lap rested a leather-bound diary, and she was silently filling up one of its pages. She looked up from the diary for a moment and scanned the area for any sign of he brother, Enishi; he should've been home from school by now. She seriously hopped he wasn't hanging around with that awful gang of boys he had made friends with. She wrapped her shawl tightly around her; it was snowing lightly last night, but that didn't make the place any less cold. The whole front yard was covered with a blanket of snow, and the trees had snow on their branches. She also hoped Enishi would be back before he'd catch himself a cold.

Ever since her parents died, Tomoe had been working hard to earn a living for herself and her brother. Her parents had left her a small fortune, and she was investing it in various business projects. It was very difficult for her, seeing as she was only 19 and had never finished her schooling and had no experience what-so-ever in the field of business, but she managed. With a little help from one of her father's close and trustworthy friends, she got to know how to invest her money and where to invest it. And then her husband came along and took part in helping her earn their living.

Kenshin…

Tomoe sighed and looked back to her diary. If she had looked down a moment later, she would've seen the red-headed man walking through the front gate.

'Tomoe…'

Startled, Tomoe looked up. She relaxed a bit when she saw who it was. 'Hello, Kenshin,' she said softly.

Kenshin smiled. 'Hello, Tomoe,' he replied.

Tomoe's eyes followed him as he crossed the front yard and sat down next to her. She closed her diary and set it aside. She looked rather intently at him, but he continued to look straight ahead. 'I saw it in the news today, Kenshin,' she suddenly said.

Kenshin nodded slowly. 'I knew you would,' he said quietly.

'There was murder…the two men where slashed across their guts and left to die in a pool of their own blood,' Tomoe said, still looking at him. 'They weren't sure who did it, but they're assuming it was the act of Kenshin Himura…they're accusing you, Kenshin.'

'I know they are,' Kenshin admitted, still looking fixedly into empty space.

'Did you do it? Did you kill those men?' she prompted him, suddenly gripping his arm.

'No,' he answered her shortly, ignoring her grip on his arm.

'But you weren't here last night,' she persisted. 'I woke up in the middle of the night, and I didn't find you next to me…where did you go?'

'I had some business to take care of,' Kenshin answered. He suddenly looked at her and smiled. 'Anyway, what are we having for lunch today?'

Tomoe looked sternly at him. 'Don't change the subject, Kenshin,' she said sharply. 'I know I've agreed not to ask you any questions about your past…but I really can't take this anymore.'

'Listen, Tomoe…' Kenshin said wearily.

Tomoe released his arm and let her hands fall to her lap. She looked away from him. 'No, you listen to me,' she said. 'I've tried to ignore all those news flashes about people dying by a sword's blade, I've tried to ignore that you've been accused with each murder, I've tried to ignore that you, yourself, have a Sakabatou in your closet…I tried to pretend that it was all just coincidence, but I just can't do it anymore…'

'Tomoe, I…' he started.

'_I _need answers, Kenshin, I need to know what's going on, I need to know who's doing it…is it you?' she said in a hoarse whisper. She finally looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes. 'Are you murdering all those people?'

Kenshin mouthed wordlessly at her, unable to find the right words to say to her. He was saved the trouble of answering by the short figure who had stridden through the front gate.

'I hate school!' he bellowed, throwing his school bag to the ground.

They both swiveled around and stared at him. 'Enishi, what…?' Tomoe said, slightly alarmed, and hastily wiped the tears from her eyes.

'I just got suspended!' Enishi said angrily. 'They accused me of stealing a valuable vase from the principal's desk!'

'Well…did you?' Tomoe said quietly.

'What? No!' Enishi shouted.

'Enishi, I'll repeat my question…did you steal the vase from the principal's desk?' Tomoe said sharply.

'No, I didn't!' Enishi said furiously.

Tomoe sighed in exasperation. 'Well, then, I'll go talk to the principal tomorrow,' she told him, and Enishi started to look slightly anxious. 'Now run along and wash up while I set up the table.'

Looking sulky, Enishi climbed onto the porch, slid the paper screen door open and walked into the house. Tomoe shook her head, and turned around to return to her conversation with her husband, but Kenshin was gone. She frowned for a moment. Vanishing suddenly during a conversation was just too typical of Kenshin.

Tomoe trusted Kenshin. She knew he was innocent…just by looking into his eyes, she had realized that he would never hurt any living creature. It confused her greatly when her Kenshin got accused of all those horrifying murders. It couldn't be true. She knew there was some secret behind her husband, but she never pestered him with questions about it; she believed that one is to be allowed to keep secrets if he wanted to, even if he were keeping them from his wife. But lately, she just couldn't ignore all these murders; she felt that Kenshin was linked to them somehow, and she wanted to know how, but Kenshin never seemed to be willing to share that with her.

Sighing again, she picked up her diary and pen and got up to her feet. She followed Enishi into the house. She paused a bit in the door frame, and then she slid the paper door firmly shut.

-

'Who is it?'

'It's me, Kenshin, open up'

Kenshin heard several locks being unbolted, and then the door was flung open. In the doorway stood a man exactly identical to him. 'Ken! Hi! I've been expecting you!' the man exclaimed brightly. 'Come on in!'

Kenshin scowled for a moment, and then he walked past his brother into the old house. the house was also traditional Japanese house, but it had been abandoned a long time ago due to the rumors of it being haunted by ghosts…of course, this didn't stop his brother from occupying it; it was the perfect hide-out. Shinta closed the door. He led Kenshin into the old, dusty living room. He plopped down on a sofa, and dust rose around him. He beckoned to Kenshin to grab a seat, and he sat down on a wooden chair.

'You did it again, Shinta,' Kenshin muttered. 'You said you'd stop…after your last murder…you said you'd stop.'

Shinta crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back against the sofa. 'Ah, well, I couldn't resist,' he replied, smiling feverishly. 'The lust just got too strong and I couldn't keep it under control anymore.'

Kenshin scowled. 'You can't just keep killing people, Shinta; you're already drawing too much attention to yourself,' he said heatedly.

Shinta's expression, on the contrary, brightened. 'But that's great! I'll be famous in no time if I continue with the killing!' he exclaimed happily.

Kenshin sighed in exasperation. 'Stop acting so childishly!' he snapped. 'You don't understand! Tomoe's getting way too suspicious! Today she cornered me about last night's murder, and started asking me if I did it, and I didn't know what to say, and…'

'You didn't tell her about me, did you?' Shinta interrupted him.

'What? No, of course I didn't,' Kenshin said mildly, and that was the truth; he really hadn't told Tomoe a thing about Shinta. 'But what will I tell her next time she asks me? I just can't keep hiding the truth from her forever, it's just too absurd!'

The smile slipped off of Shinta's face. 'I warned you, Kenshin, I warned you that this will happen,' he said furiously. 'I told you that getting yourself a wife is not good, but you wouldn't listen, you were just too mad in love to listen.'

'If you can't love somebody, it doesn't mean that I can't,' Kenshin muttered.

Shinta pretended that this remark hadn't affected him. 'That's not the point, Kenshin,' he said angrily. 'I told you that Tomoe would start asking you such questions, but you said that you could handle it, you said you'll keep everything under control…but of course, you couldn't.'

'Same way you couldn't stop killing people,' Kenshin said dully.

'Don't compare two completely different things, Kenshin,' Shinta snapped.

'So what do you just I do about it?' Kenshin demanded.

Shinta put his head in his hands, and peered at his brother from between his fingers. 'I hate to have to be the one to break this to you, Ken, but you're gonna have to break it up with your woman sooner or later,' he said quietly.

Kenshin stared at his brother like he had gone mad or something. 'What?' he sputtered. 'Leave Tomoe? You have to be kidding me! I can't do that!'

'I expected you to say that, Ken,' Shinta said quietly, nodding his head. 'But you really don't have any other choice, Tomoe's gonna continue to ask such questions and you know it…for our safety, Ken, I'm asking you to let go of Tomoe.'

'No…no, Shinta! Dammit! You're asking for too much! I've always gone with whatever you said, but you can't ask me to leave Tomoe!' Kenshin said furiously. 'Tomoe's the only good thing that had happened to me in ages, I can't simply let go of her!'

'Listen, Kenshin, I know this is hard for you, but it's for the best…really, trust me when I say this,' Shinta said quietly.

'No, you listen to me, Shinta, I'm not giving up on Tomoe…no matter what the cost is,' Kenshin snarled; the thought of leaving Tomoe was just too absurd. 'I don't care what happens, I'm just not going to…Shinta?' But Shinta was no longer looking at him; he was staring at the window behind his brother's head. Frowning, Kenshin slowly turned around to have a look at the window himself, but there was nothing; it was just a plain ordinary window. He looked back at his brother. 'Er…Shinta?'

Shinta's expression was totally unreadable. 'Tomoe will have to go, Ken,' he said hoarsely.

'I already told you I won't…' Kenshin started to protest.

But Shinta shook his head just a fraction. 'No, Kenshin…I mean, she'll _really _have to go,' he whispered.

You didn't need to be a genius to figure out what Shinta meant. Kenshin stared blankly at his brother for a few moments before finally finding his voice again. 'What?' he finally shouted. 'Why, you…you won't lay a finger on Tomoe!'

'You have no business telling me what to do,' Shinta snapped. 'You know the rules; any one who sees me dies.'

'What are you talking about?' Kenshin demanded. 'Tomoe never saw you!'

'And who do you think was looking at us through the window?' Shinta said coldly.

Kenshin swiveled around and stared at the window. 'Tomoe was here?' he whispered, somewhat startled.

'Yes, Ken, Tomoe was here, and she saw me…I saw her look straight at me,' Shinta said sharply. 'She saw me, and she'll have to die.'

'No!' Kenshin exploded, glaring at Shinta. 'I don't care if Tomoe saw you or not, you just won't touch her! I won't allow you!'

Shinta snorted audibly. 'You won't allow me?' he said incredulously. 'And who are you to give me any kind of permission? May I remind you that I'm the one who gives orders around here? May I remind you that I'm the stronger one here, and that I could finish you off quickly if you dare oppose me?'

Kenshin, much to his brother's surprise, snickered. 'You know you won't kill me, Shinta…you need me as your scapegoat, isn't that right?' he sneered.

Shinta regained his composure almost immediately, and he smiled. 'Good for you, Ken, you've finally realized what good you are for,' he said, good-naturedly.

Kenshin scowled. 'Listen here, Shinta, you have to leave Tomoe out of this, you agreed not to harm her in any way since the first time I met her, remember?' he said angrily.

'We agreed that I wouldn't harm her if she doesn't trouble,' Shinta corrected him. 'And what do you think is the first thing she would do now? Notify the police and the authorities, of course…and don't tell me that won't cause trouble.' He picked up his sword and started to head to the front door. 'So, now if you'll excuse me…'

'No!' Kenshin sped past his brother and blocked his was to the front door. 'I won't let you!'

Shinta gritted his teeth and gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly his knuckles became white. 'Get out of the way, Ken, I'll do what I intend to do and you're not going to stop me,' he hissed. Kenshin held his ground, cursing himself mentally for leaving his sword back at Tomoe's place. 'Kenshin…'

'No,' Kenshin said firmly. 'You will leave Tomoe alone…I'm sick of this! I'm sick of being in your shadow the whole time! I have a very good mind to ditch you and leave!'

'Damn you, Kenshin! You can't just escape and you know that! I won't allow you to! Now don't make me do something I don't want to do…' Shinta said angrily. 'Just get out of my way.'

'NO!' Kenshin shouted. He had never opposed his brother before; Shinta had always been the leader and he had been the follower…and it felt good to stand up to his brother. 'I won't get out of your way!'

It all happened so fast. Shinta had snapped. He drew out his sword and striked Kenshin around his abdomen…striked him enough to wound him but not kill him. Kenshin felt warm blood flow underneath his clothes. He stared, horrified, at his brother. He clutched at his open wound and staggered away from the door. He leaned against the nearest wall and slid down to the floor, grimacing in pain.

Shinta stood over him, holding the tip of the sword to his neck. 'That, Kenshin, is what happens to people who oppose me,' he said softly.

'You…you bastard,' Kenshin said hoarsely.

'Tut tut, I'll have to teach you some manners, Ken,' Shinta said, a smirk touching his lips.

With the tip of his sword, he carved a wound onto Kenshin's cheek before the later even got the chance to push him away. Kenshin felt blood sliding down his face, and he glared up at Shinta. 'You…' he started.

Shinta pulled his sword back and returned it to its sheath. He turned on his heels and walked towards the door. He opened it and took a look back at his brother. 'I suggest you take care of your wound while I go take care of some business,' he said in a flat voice and walked out of the door.

'No! Come back!' Kenshin shouted, but Shinta took no heed of him. 'No…no…'

He watched as Shinta made it down the front steps of the house and disappeared from view.

'Tomoe…' he said hoarsely.

-

Tomoe clutched at a stitch in her chest as she rushed in through the gate of her house. She kicked off her slippers at the foot of the small flight of stairs leading into the house, and hurried up into the house.

'Enishi!' she shouted as she slid the paper door open.

Tomoe was shocked. After Kenshin had left, she had decided to go and look for him. She followed his tracks, which were visible on the thin blanket of snow which they got last night. She had followed the tracks till she got to that old deserted house in the forest. She had looked into one of the windows, and for a moment she thought she had double vision. She saw Kenshin…and another man who looked exactly like him…his twin.

She understood everything then…at least, she thought she did. No, it wasn't Kenshin who was committing all those murders; it was his twin, and Kenshin was obviously covering up for him…but didn't that make him a part of the murder, too? One thing she was sure of, she wasn't going to be left alone after acquiring this knowledge, and she had to get away from here…quickly.

'Enishi!' she shouted again. _Where the hell was that boy of to? We have to leave immediately!_

She rushed up to her room and went to her bedside cabinet. She unlocked it with a key she always carried around with her, and extracted a small iron safe from inside; her savings. If they were going to leave, then she, at least, had to be prepared. She was only going to take the money now and leave the house as it is. She would return to it when this is over. She went back to the landing and out to the front yard. 'Enishi!' she called again, scanning the place with her eyes; there was no sign of him. She decided to check in the backyard; maybe he was playing there and just didn't want to answer her calls. She rushed to the back of the house and to the backyard. Her eyes went over the small, frozen paddock, her flower garden…but there was no Enishi.

Instead, there was a red-headed man standing right beside the old Oak tree. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at him, but she didn't turn around and run away. 'Kenshin?' she said tentatively, although she already knew the answer.

The man smirked. 'You wish I was Kenshin,' he sneered.

'Not really,' she said, and she meant it. 'I wish you were no one…I really don't know if I could trust Kenshin any more.'

The man looked a bit startled by her answer, but he continued to smile nonetheless. 'My name is Shinta, I'm Kenshin's twin brother,' he told her.

'I gathered,' she replied.

'Now that you know, I'm afraid I won't be able to let you share this with the rest of the world,' he said quietly. Tomoe's eyes widened, and that's when she started to back away. 'Where do you think you're going, Tomoe? You try to escape me, but I assure you that you will never succeed.'

Tomoe didn't listen to him. She ran back through the house to the front yard…to the gate…out of here…away from Shinta…

…only to find him standing by the gate, arms folded against his chest; somehow, he had got there before her. Grimly, she admitted to herself that he was right; she would never be able to escape. Even if she called the police, they will get here when it was too late. And Kenshin? God knows where he is, and what might've happened to him…

Or maybe she could lock herself up in her room and call the police, maybe she'd be able to keep herself alive until they came…but what after that? Will she ever be safe with this Shinta on the loose? She wasn't even allowed to carry out with this plan, though. Shinta rushed up to her, and before she could even move, he had pulled out his sword and thrust it into her chest.

There was a shattering sound behind them. Shinta looked around and saw Enishi, staring in horror at his sister.

Tomoe gasped in horror and pain. She clawed at Shinta, but he drew out his sword and stepped back from her. He watched her silently as she collapsed to the snowy ground, knocking over a flower pot as she did and shattering it to small pieces. Her hands were over her chest, trying to stop the flow of blood.

'That's the price of your curiosity, Tomoe,' he said quietly. 'I'm sorry, but I had to make you pay.'

Tomoe mouthed soundlessly, her delicate features screwed up in pain. Shinta swept her with one last look, before turning on his heels and walking away, leaving her to die alone.

-

Enishi walked in the forest next to his home, juggling the pretty white vase he had taken from the principal's office in his hands.

Yes; he had stolen the vase. It was really pretty and he had a knack for taking fancy in such pretty objects; he simply had to have it. But since he was in the risk of facing expulsion, and he really couldn't care less, but Tomoe seemed to care, and he didn't want to do anything which would disappoint her in him, he had to figure out a way to return it before her meeting with the principal tomorrow.

He was deep in thought he didn't realize he had got to their house. Enishi walked in through the gate, and was greeted by a site which made him drop the vase he was holding. It hit the ground and shattered at his feet.

Kenshin was standing there, and he had his sword jabbed in Tomoe's chest. He could see its tip protruding from Tomoe's back. Kenshin saw him and pulled out his sword. Enishi watched silently as Tomoe collapsed to her feet, and as Kenshin walked away to the backyard…and then it hit him…

'TOMOE!' he screamed.

He ran across the yard to his sister, who was lying bleeding on the snowy ground, a pool pf crimson around her. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. 'Tomoe!' he cried, tears streaming down his face. 'Tomoe! Don't die! Please! Don't leave me here by myself!'

Tomoe pried her eyes open. 'Eni-shi…' she said hoarsely, smiling weakly up at him. 'I'm really sorry…but…I can't stay…'

'No! Don't say that!' he choked. 'No!'

'Tomoe!'

Enishi whirled around. He saw Kenshin standing in the doorway, clutching at his abdomen. He saw the blood staining his clothes. Probably Tomoe's blood…but why did he come back? Did he come back to kill him too?

'You bastard! You killed my sister! You killed her!' he screamed, letting go of Tomoe and scrambling up to his feet. 'I'm going to get the police! They'll know what to do with you!'

-

Kenshin steadied himself against the wooden doorframe, still clutching at his open wound, from which blood was still gushing. He looked behind him, and saw that he had left a trail of blood on the snowy ground…it was nothing compared to the puddle of blood surrounding his wife…

'Tomoe!' he called again, weakly.

Enishi had run into the house and out of site, probably gone to call the police. He let go of the doorframe and staggered across the yard to Tomoe. He had been able to get here all the way from the old house, and now, he felt like those few steps which would get him to Tomoe's side were just too difficult to make.

Nevertheless, he reached Tomoe's side. He dropped to his knees beside her and pulled her head into his lap. He brushed a few stray strands of her black hair away from her face. 'Tomoe…' he whispered softly, tears welling in his eyes.'…oh, I'm so sorry…'

Tomoe opened her eyes. She was still alive! Kenshin whispered thanks to God under his breath.

'Tomoe…' he choked.

'Kenshin? Is that you?' Tomoe whispered. 'Is it really you?'

'Yes, it's me, Tomoe,' he said.

Tomoe smiled, rather painfully. 'Why didn't you tell me, Kenshin? Why didn't you tell me about Shinta?' she asked.

'I…I'm sorry, Tomoe, I just didn't want you to get into any trouble,' he whispered.

'Trouble?' she repeated, and she glanced miserably at the wound in her chest. 'It got me more than trouble, Kenshin, it got me death.'

'No! No, Tomoe, you're not going to die! We'll get you to the hospital and they'll take care of you and…' he said rapidly.

'Shhh,' she said softly.

She had raised her hand to his face. Kenshin thought she was going to touch him, but felt something sharp cutting into his cheek. His numb surprise prevented him from crying out in surprise. She had cut him using one of the shattered pieces of the flower pot she had dropped earlier when Shinta had attacked her.

'Tomoe…?' he whispered.

'I…I gave you the scar so people could distinguish you, so they would know who's the good and who's the bad…I'm really sorry,' she murmured. 'I'm sorry, Kenshin…'

A single tear rolled down Kenshin's cheek, mixed with his own blood, which was leaking from the cut on his cheek, and fell onto Tomoe's face. Tomoe smiled weakly, and her hand dropped to her side…to the snow…where it lay there unmoving forever…

'TOMOE!' he screamed in agony. He doubled over her, crying his heart out. 'No…no!'

Tomoe…Tomoe was gone…she was dead…she wasn't ever going to come back…she was dead…and Shinta killed her…

He had worked so hard to protect her, but in the end Shinta had gone and ended her life. He killed the only source of happiness and joy in his life. He held her against his chest, crying like he had never cried before…

…he hadn't cried like this when his parents were killed…

…or when he was separated from his other siblings…

…or when his sensei died…

All his tears were for Tomoe.

-

_10 years later in USA_

Kenshin sat in Enishi's car, staring straight ahead as his mind went over the painful memory.

Tomoe…

He hadn't managed to protect Tomoe, he couldn't stop his brother from killing her…but he wasn't going to repeat the same mistake twice…he wasn't going to let Shinta kill Kaoru like he had killed Tomoe.

Kaoru wasn't going to die, he was going to rescue her…he wasn't going to be late like he last time…

**-**

**A/N: Okay, so this was it; my fifteenth chappie…I gotta tell you; it was difficult for me to switch to Tomoe and Kenshin when the whole story was about Kaoru and Kenshin, and it was kinda depressing too…I always thought the Tsuikohen (did I spell that right?) was a bit too sad! But this chapter had to be written. Next chapter's gonna have a lot of events in it…at least, I think it will, I'm not sure what I'm gonna write in it yet, although I have the whole story planned out…anyway, wait for it!**

**Oh, and please review!**

_- S. N. B. _


	16. Gone with Battousai

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…and I wish I didn't have to repeat that every single time!**

**I'm back! Sorry I hadn't been updating in quite a while, but I've been grounded! I wasn't even allowed to use the computer! ** **I want to thank you all for the really nice reviews, they really made me happy! Yes, and no more Kenshin and Tomoe; it's just too depressing! Oh, and by the way; no, my brother isn't the only sib I have, I have two others…**

**Er…yes, I know you all want me to stop talking so you'd get to read the story…ok, I will…so, ENJOY!**

**CHAPTER 16: Gone With Battousai**

Sano shook his head in an attempt to relieve his head of the dizziness which clouded it. He, then, pushed the door open with some force and scrambled out of the wreckage which used to be his car. He looked back at it for a moment, wondering how he ever survived that, and he let out a low whistle.

'Damn, repairs are gonna cost me a lot,' he mumbled. He glared accusingly at the other car, from which its occupants had already stepped out. He darted straight towards them. 'What the hell is this, Misao?' he demanded of Kaoru's roommate…or at least, what he thought was a roommate. 'What are you doing here? Why were you following me?'

'Don't be silly, Sagara!' Misao snapped. 'Why would I want to follow you? I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the world doesn't revolve around you, you know.'

Sano ignored her last remark. 'So, lemme get this straight; what you're basically saying is that you being here on this particular highway at two o'clock in the morning with your boyfriend…' he said scornfully.

'I'm not her boyfriend,' Aoshi interrupted him.

'Yeah, sure, mate, whatever you say,' Sano said impatiently, waving his hand in an off-hand sort of way. He turned his attention back to Misao and gestured impatiently at the car wreckage. 'You're saying that this whole thing is a coincidence?'

'Yeah, so what if it was?' Misao shot back. 'What's so wrong about two university students having an after midnight stroll?'

'What's so wrong is that _he_…' Sano said and jerked his thumb at Aoshi. '…doesn't look like a university student!'

Misao cast a quick look at Aoshi before turning to look defiantly at Sano. 'So he looks a bit old, where's the problem in that?' she demanded.

'No, it's alright, Misao…' Aoshi said quietly, resting his hand on her shoulder.

'No, Aoshi! You're young! I hate it when people mistake your age!' Misao said heatedly.

'I wasn't talking about that, Misao,' Aoshi murmured.

Misao flushed. 'Oh,' she stuttered, staring down at the ground.

Aoshi looked calmly at Sano; the calmness in his face unnerved Sano. 'I believe we owe Sagara-san an explanation. Don't you think so, Misao?' he said quietly, and Misao quickly nodded her head. He turned to Sano and addressed him in a business-like tone. 'You were right, Sagara-san, our being here isn't a mere coincidence. We aren't university students and we were, indeed, following someone.'

'And I'm assuming this someone is Kaoru, right?' Sano said sharply.

'Yes, Sagara-san, we were following Kamiya-san and Himura…until your car came and blocked the way, of course,' he replied.

Sano's hand moved automatically to the pocket where he usually kept his gun. 'And what business do you have with them? As far as I know, you're not even _guards _at the Agency…so who are you? Who do you work for?' he demanded, his questions coming all out in a rush.

Aoshi shook his head. 'I'm afraid we don't have the authority to answer you, Sagara-san, and besides, that'll be against our secrecy code,' he said calmly. 'If you want answers, you'll just have to talk to our boss.'

Sano gritted his teeth. 'Listen here, mate, you just plowed my car and then I find out you're after my same target…so you really do _not _want to be messing with me,' he hissed. 'I suggest you start talking because I, unlike you, am an FBI agent and thereby have the _authority _to shoot you down at this moment if I don't get answers…was I clear?'

'Crystal clear,' Aoshi said pleasantly. 'But I'm afraid we have to split now, we really don't want the police showing up and catching us, now, do we?'

Sano pulled out his gun and aimed it at them. 'You're not going anywhere, you're going to stay right here and tell me everything,' he said sharply.

'Man, you're such a pain in the neck, Sanosuke Sagara,' Misao snapped.

'Thank you,' Sano said coldly. 'Now, hold your hands up where I can see them, and step away from the car.'

Sano was feeling really angry and confused. Confused about what he had witnessed in the old fire station; what was Kaoru doing with Kenshin…or Shinta…or whatever his name was? Why was she being so friendly towards him? And he was angry because nobody seemed to want to give him any answers! And here was this Aoshi, smiling calmly at him as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. He just wanted to go and rip that smile off his face.

He was about to start bellowing at them again when he heard the sound of an approaching car, and he realized they were still standing in the middle of the road. He wondered to whom the car might belong…a civilian? A cop? Or maybe some other person who works with Misao and Aoshi?

He kept his attention on Misao and Aoshi, who had put up their hands and stepped away from the car as he had told them. Over their shoulders, he could see the approaching black car slowing down, and then stopping altogether beside them. Sano blinked as two men stepped out of the car…two men who he happened to know both. 'What the…?' he murmured, still aiming the gun at the two spies, the same moment Misao cried, 'Enishi?'

'My, my, what a crash,' Enishi Yukishiro said, glancing at the two cars before looking at Sano. 'You can put down that gun, Sagara-san; I assure you that Makimachi-kun and Shinomori-san are on my side.'

But Sano wasn't looking at him. He was looking at the person behind him, and so were Aoshi and Misao. It was Himura. 'You!' he exclaimed, releasing the two spies from his aim and darting forwards towards Kenshin. 'But…but…you were in that car with Kaoru! What the hell are you doing here? Where's Kaoru? What did you do to her?'

Enishi stood between them, because Sano had an extremely murderous look on his face. 'Now, now, Sagara-san, let's not be hasty,' he advised him.

'Get out of the way, Yukishiro!' Sano bellowed. Himura killed the Captain…all he wanted was to avenge the Captain's death, and if this Enishi wanted to die protecting Himura, so let it be; he didn't care if he had to kill him too. 'I said, get out of the way!'

'Yeah, Enishi!' Misao said. who was also glaring at Enishi with a mixture of anger and confusion. 'Why are you protecting your sister's murderer? I thought you wanted to kill him!'

'I believe I should be the one to explain,' Kenshin spoke up, stepping out from behind Enishi. Sano still glared murderously at him, but he decided to hear Kenshin out…not that his explanation was going to change his mind about tearing him to shreds.

'Yeah, you do that!' Misao said indignantly. 'If you're Himura, then I'd like to know who we were following!'

Kenshin sighed. 'You were following my twin brother, Shinta,' he explained. 'I was never in that car; I was with Enishi the whole time.'

'What?' Misao cried, and Aoshi looked quite surprised as well.

Sano, on the contrary, frowned. 'So what Kaoru was saying was the truth? That guy who took her was your twin…Shinta?' he asked, sounding doubtful.

'Yes, Sagara-san, Kaoru was saying the truth,' Kenshin assured him. 'And I think that seeing Shinta with Kaoru is proof enough for you, isn't it?'

Sano didn't put his gun down. 'No, it isn't, how should I know that you didn't go dump Kaoru somewhere on the road and came back here?' he said angrily. His eyes flicked towards Enishi. 'How should I know that you're not working with him?'

'May I make a suggestion first, Sagara-san?' Enishi asked quietly, as a car passed by them, and its passengers stared out at the car wreckage, which was taking up half the road, with their noses pressed against their windows. 'Wouldn't it be better if we discussed this somewhere else? Somewhere where we didn't have everybody staring at us, and where we wouldn't be in the risk of having the police come over and investigate…I do believe they're on their way here.'

'Yeah…yeah, you're right,' Sano said absently, still glaring at Kenshin while the memory of the Captain's death forcibly replayed itself in his mind over and over again.

'Okay, then, let's go to my place and…' Enishi said.

'No,' Sano snapped. 'You're all to come back with me to the Agency. No arguments.' No one was stupid enough to argue. Sano looked at Enishi. 'You're driving. I don't trust you; I'm just giving you a little credit for the information you gave me.'

Enishi nodded silently. He turned to his spies. 'What about Kamiya-san and Himura? Did they escape?' he asked.

'Yeah, they got away,' Misao said wearily. She frowned. 'How did you manage to track us down anyway? I don't recall telling you where we are.'

'My dear Misao, I took care of everything the moment I came here,' Enishi told her. 'I had a tracking device on your car, that's how.'

'So much for trust,' Misao said bitterly.

'I don't blame him,' Sano said, rather fiercely. 'Around you lot, I don't know if I'll be able to trust anyone ever again…now move, we don't have all day…Kaoru could be in danger.'

'Knowing that she's with Shinta, I'm sure she is,' Kenshin said darkly.

-

'Drive straight to the airport, Kaoru, we don't want to be late for our flight,'

Kaoru gritted her teeth and gripped the stirring wheel so tightly her knuckles became white. How can he talk to her so calmly? How can he talk to her after what she'd seen him do to Sano? When she saw Sano's car spinning on the road, she had wanted to stop and go back to help him, but Shinta had snapped at her to continue driving…she only hoped he was okay.

'What are you doing back there?' she asked, because he had climbed into the backseat five minutes ago and was rummaging about noisily.

'Keep driving, you'll see later,' he told her. 'Just keep your eyes on the road or we'll get into an accident.'

Kaoru sighed. She really couldn't believe what she'd gotten herself into. How could she have been so stupid and naïve so as not to make sure of who she was meeting in the first place? Come to think of it, she had never checked if it was Kenshin, not Shinta, who was talking to her in all their past meetings; she had given him blind trust and had never given a second thought to the consequences. She would've kicked herself if her legs were that long…and that flexible.

And what was Shinta planning to do after they went to Japan? What was he going to do to her? Was he planning to lock her up somewhere? Was he going to kill her later? Was he going to use her for some ulterior reason?

'We're here,' she announced, as the airport building came into view.

'Oh, good!' he said happily. 'I was afraid we might be late because of that Sagara kid.'

'Don't talk about Sa…' Kaoru hissed, as she pulled into the parking lot.

'Look! There's a vacant spot! Park your car there!' he interrupted her.

Kaoru cursed under her breath. As dangerous as she knew he was, Shinta was acting so childishly and carelessly it was getting on her nerves. However, she pulled into the space and turned the car engines off. She turned around to look at him. 'Ok, what now?' she said…and stared; because the Shinta in her backseat looked nothing like the Shinta who had been sitting next to her ten minutes ago.

'How do I look?' he asked, grinning. He had removed his "scar" and had replaced his mass of crimson hair with a black wig. He even had brown eyes now instead of violet ones. He smoothed his hair. 'Do I look nice?'

'Er…you look different…_very _different,' she admitted, because the absence of the scar and the crimson hair made him look like an entirely different person. 'I can barely even recognize you.'

'Good, because that's what I'm for,' he said, and his expression brightened. 'Okay, shall we go now?'

'Okay,' she agreed.

Maybe she could make a run for it when she got out of the car, and then she'd be able to call on Sano or ask some cop for help…

Shinta's next words erased any idea she had from her mind. 'When we're out, don't you dare ask anybody for help and don't tell anybody who I really am,' he said sharply. 'I've committed mass murders before and I can do it again if given a reason.'

Kaoru scowled and glared at him. 'Why, you…' she hissed.

'A simple nod of your head would be sufficient,' Shinta interrupted her, and Kaoru nodded grudgingly. 'Very well, let's go now.'

They both stepped out of the car and headed for the airport building, and then Kaoru remembered something. 'How do you expect me to travel without my…?' she started to ask.

'…passport?' he asked, and pulled one out of his jacket. He smiled at her and put the passport back in its place. 'Don't worry; I've taken the liberty to arrange everything for this, so you don't need to trouble your pretty head with any details.'

So that was what she was to him? Another pretty head amongst all heads? 'I really hate you,' she snapped at him.

Shinta looked mildly surprised. 'You do?' he said. 'But I thought you liked me.'

'I wonder what gave you that impression?' she said coldly.

'Well, I dunno...but a kiss under the mistletoe is enough to give anybody impressions,' he said, smirking. Kaoru uttered a sharp gasp, and stared at him. 'Yeah, it was me...and I gotta tell you, it was one incredible date!'

'Kenshin knew about this?' she demanded.

'Of course he knew,' he told her. 'Or else he'd have showed up, don't you think?'

'He knew…and didn't do anything to stop it?' she said incredulously.

'It's not like he had a choice,' he said as they walked in through the electronic doors and into the building.

'I knew it,' she muttered. She grabbed his arm and forced him to look at her. 'What did you do to him?'

'Kaoru, please,' Shinta murmured, looking around at passer-bys who might either be arrivals or departures. 'Stop this, people will start to stare.'

'I don't care,' she snapped. _Let them stare; maybe someone will even hear what we're saying and somehow miraculously spread it around by tomorrow morning. _'What did you do to Kenshin? How did you get him to skip out on our date?'

'Well, if you insist,' he said wearily. 'I threatened to kill you if he doesn't let me go out with you on that date…and he gave in; you know what a wuss Ken can be.' He chuckled softly.

'He's not a wuss!' Kaoru said, her insides boiling with anger. She had gone out with Shinta! She had even _liked_ him! She had kissed him! She felt incredibly furious. 'Just because he cares about others so much so as to give up his rights for their sake doesn't make him a wuss! Just because he has feelings while you don't doesn't make him a wuss, alright?'

'Yes, yes, point taken; Ken is not a wuss,' Shinta said carelessly. 'Now can we go? I really don't want to miss the plane; it gets more and more difficult to get tickets nowadays.'

He grabbed her hand and pulled her further into the airport. Kaoru snatched her hand away and glared at him. He just cast her an impatient look and beckoned her forward. Unwillingly, she trudged after him. He said he'll murder people if she got away, and she didn't want that to happen. Now she really understood what Kenshin had been going through.

They passed quickly by the screening process since they had no luggage, and headed straight for Tickets and Seats Control. How Shinta's gun wasn't detected during scanning, Kaoru really didn't know. They found a free officer and stepped up before his desk. Shinta handed him the passports and tickets. He flipped through the passport for a moment before looking at them. 'Mr. and Mrs. Kawashiro…is that right?' he asked, comparing them with the pictures in the passports.

'Yes, the newly wedded Mr. and Mrs. Kawashiro,' Shinta replied, grinning, and Kaoru's eyes widened. 'In fact, we're going to Japan to spend our honeymoon there!'

'No luggage?' the officer asked, eyebrows raised slightly.

'All the luggage we'll be needing is in my wallet,' Shinta told him.

'Alright, then, if you'll give me a few minutes please…' the officer said.

'Oh, yes, take your time,' Kaoru offered, and dragged Shinta away. Once they were out of the officer's earshot, she glared at him. 'The newly wedded Mr. and Mrs. Kawashiro?' she said, incredulously.

'What? I thought it was a good cover,' Shinta said defensively. 'Besides, we have to act up to the owners of the passports, don't we?'

'Huh?' Kaoru said, confused.

'Where do you think I got the passports from? I didn't want a couple of fake passports, I wanted real ones,' he explained. 'I just changed the pictures, that's all.'

'Wait…what did you do to the real Mr. and Mrs. Kawashiro?' she asked slowly, although she thought she already knew the answer.

'I killed them of course,' he answered, saying it as if it were the most obvious thing to do in the world. 'You didn't expect me to keep their lives after they'd seen me, did you? They'd go directly and report me…things would've turned nasty from there.'

Tears stung Kaoru's eyes, but she didn't allow them to flow; no way was she going to cry in front of him. 'How dare you?' she said, her bottom lip quivering with anger. 'How dare you do such a thing? Those people did nothing to you!'

Shinta just smiled at her. 'I know you're upset, Kaoru,' he admitted. 'But think of it this way, those people's lives didn't go in vain! Because of them, we'll be able to travel to Japan undisturbed!'

'You're such a bastard! I can't believe you!' she cried.

Shinta's expression hardened and he grabbed her arm and squeezed it painfully. 'What did I tell you about making a scene, Kaoru? Do you want anybody to end like the Kawashiros?' he said sharply, and she shook his head. 'Good, be quiet, then.'

'You'll never get away with this,' she told him.

'Yeah?' he said, scowling at her. 'We'll see about that…but until then, you're to come with me and be quiet…be a good Mrs. Kawashiro.'

Kaoru strongly felt like putting her hands around his throat and strangling him.

-

Sano was feeling utterly shocked. Himura had just been filling him on everything and he was finding it really difficult to believe that they had been chasing after the wrong guy the entire time…that they were supposed to be following a Shinta Himura, not a Kenshin Himura…that the moment he thought he was finally going to avenge the Captain's death, all his hopes crumbled down to the ground.

He looked at the red-head sitting across from him. He didn't want to believe him, he wanted to think that he had finally laid hands on the bastard who had murdered the Captain…but disbelieving him also meant that Kaoru's body was lying around somewhere…dead and lifeless, and he didn't want that.

'Sagara-san, I've told you the truth, I swear,' Kenshin said earnestly. 'I would never hurt Kaoru, let alone hurt anyone…I never killed Captain Sagara, it wasn't me, it was my brother…'

Sano looked around at Misao, Aoshi and Enishi. He had dragged the whole lot of them to his office in the Agency, and had asked for complete privacy, which earned him several confused and suspicious looks from his colleagues. Now, Aoshi looked quite as expressionless as always; Sano didn't know whether he had believed the story Himura had been feeding them. Enishi was smoking a cigarette, his eyes narrowed at Kenshin in an expression of dislike. Misao, however, looked quite as beaten as he was. She just shrugged when he looked at her.

Sano looked back at Kenshin. 'Okay, Himura, let's say I believe you,' he said heavily. 'Could you tell me where your brother is heading, then?'

Kenshin sighed and shook his head. 'I would tell you if I could, but I'm afraid I don't know where my brother is heading,' he murmured.

'Yeah, right!' Sano scoffed. 'How could you not know where he is? He's your brother; you're staying with him!'

'You think I'd even let him take Kaoru if I knew what he was up to?' Kenshin said angrily.

Sano was taken aback for a moment. 'Yeah…yeah, you're right,' he mumbled, and slumped down onto his chair. He put his face in his hands. 'I wish we knew where he was going, and then we'd be able to help Kaoru.'

'Okay, let's see…' Aoshi said, folding his arms against his chest. 'Where does that highway lead to?'

'I dunno…' Sano said, massaging his temples. 'Some food producing factories…warehouses outside the city…'

'The airport!' Kenshin suddenly exclaimed. 'It also leads to the airport!'

'You're right,' Misao said. She grinned and clapped her hands together. 'Okay, what's your brother's favorite country?'

'It's not a matter of which country is my brother's favorite…Shinta would probably go to a country where he'll be able to hide,' Kenshin replied. 'He definitely wouldn't want to head to Japan…he caused a lot of trouble there…'

There was a knock on the door and some one walked in. 'Mr. Sagara, is that you?' the blond haired guy said, and Sano nodded. 'I thought I heard your voice…what are you doing here? I thought you left ages ago.'

Sano looked irritably at the guy. 'That's none of your business, Sawagejou… now get out! Can't you see I'm a little busy here?' he snapped.

'Yes, yes, I'm really sorry,' he said, bobbing his head slightly and looked around at the other occupants of the room. His eyes widened slightly when he looked on Kenshin, but he said nothing. He started to retreat out of the room. 'Well, call me if you need me.'

Kenshin looked intently at Cho. _Sawagejou…Sawagejou…where did I hear that name before?_ The click of the door as Cho closed it shut seemed to light a bulb in his head. 'No, wait! Bring him back!' he said, jumping to his feet. 'That guy works for Shinta! I just remembered!'

Sano's eyes widened. Whether it was the shock of learning that Cho worked for Shinta, or learning that a guy working for Shinta was walking around in the Agency loose and unguarded, nobody knew. He just jumped and rushed to the door, pulled it open and ran out. A little struggle was heard and the next moment he was back, dragging a frightened Cho behind him. He threw him to his chair and Cho sat there, looking wildly around at them, and every now and then shooting a pleading look in Kenshin's direction. Sano stood towering above him. 'So…' he said, sounding slightly triumphant. '…you thought you could walk around unspotted, didn't you? You thought you could continue being and agent without being found out, didn't you?'

'I really don't understand you, Mr. Sagara,' Cho croaked. He shot a quick look at Kenshin before proceeding. 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

'It's no use lying, Cho,' Sano told him. 'Himura here just told us about you…he told us that you've been doing some spying business here at the Agency.'

Cho's eyes widened. He looked around at Kenshin. 'Well, then, if he did, then he must've told you that I've been working for him!' he cried.

'Working for my brother, not for me, Sawagejou-san,' Kenshin corrected him.

'Your brother…what? You don't have a brother! I've been working for you the entire time! You're not going to walk out on me now, are you?' Cho said, sounding rather frantic. 'You said you'll back me up if I ever get caught…wait, they caught you, too, didn't they?'

'No one caught me, Sawagejou-san,' Kenshin said wearily. 'They don't meant to catch me in the first place…they're after my brother, the guy you've been working for the whole time.'

Cho stared at him for a moment, before turning to Sano. 'You've believed him?' he said shrilly. 'He fed you some bullshit about a brother of his and you just went and believed him? God, I thought you lot are smarter than others!'

'Watch your mouth, Cho! You're already facing imprisonment…you don't want it to be a life imprisonment, do you?' Sano snapped, and Cho slowly shook his head. 'It's not your business how or why we believed his story, what you have to do is telling us where your boss went, got it?'

'But he's right here!' Cho said, exasperated. 'What's the matter with you lot? Can't you see him?'

'Quit playing games, Cho, I'm warning you!' Sano said, sounding impatient.

'You can't blame him, Sagara-san,' Kenshin said. 'Shinta never told anyone about the fact that we were twins, people always thought that Shinta and I were one…Sawagejou-san wouldn't know.'

'Okay…Cho, where did _he _tell you he was planning to go?' Sano asked, pointing at Kenshin.

'I don't know…he told me he was going to leave the country and that I was to await further instructions from him later, that's all,' Cho answered quickly. Sano jus glared at him. 'I swear! I really don't know where he wanted to go! Why don't you ask him? He's right in front of you!'

'Right in…oh, for God's sake!' Sano exploded, grabbing him by the neck of his shirt. 'Start talking, Cho! Don't give me anymore of this "I don't know where he is" crap, you hear?'

'I don't think he knows anything, you can leave him,' Kenshin said. 'If Shinta doesn't want to be found, he never tells anybody of his whereabouts…especially to someone like Mr. Sawagejou here.'

Sano let go of Cho, who slumped down into the chair in a heap. 'Okay, so what do we do now?' he asked.

'Maybe we should check the airline reservations for today?' Enishi suggested, and it was the first time he had spoken ever since they got here.

'That's it!' Sano exclaimed. 'Brilliant!'

'I think I'll go back to the headquarters and find whatever I can on Shinta's whereabouts,' Kenshin offered.

'Good, we'll come with you then,' Enishi said; it wasn't an offer, it was a statement. Enishi really looked like he didn't trust Kenshin entirely, although he was cooperating with him at the moment.

'I'll just call up Hannya first,' Aoshi said. 'Wonder where the guy is now?'

-

Kamatari was looking at the man sitting at the bar before him with extreme distaste. Not only was he not much of a talker, but he also had on an exceptionally grotesque mask on his face. He would've kicked him out of the place if it weren't for the fact that the guy was picking out his most expensive drinks and paying for them too! Not many customers did that!

'Another one, please,' the masked man said.

Kamatari sighed wearily. He glanced at his wrist watch. It was three in the morning. All his other customers had already left and this man was still here, hogging down on alcohol. However, he went and served the man his drink.

Suddenly, there was a shrill ringing, and the man pulled his cell phone out of his pocket in one swift movement. 'Yes?' he said. A brief pause. 'You sure?' Another pause. 'Okay, I'll be there.'

_He's leaving! _'Um…you're leaving?' Kamatari asked tentatively.

The man looked at him…or at least, he thought he was looking at him; it was impossible to tell because of the mask. He slammed a few bills on the counter and left the place without any other word.

Kamatari slumped down in his chair, feeling relieved. _Thank God I don't have to look at that ugly mask again!_

-

Sano was glad he finally found a way to find Kaoru. The problem was, he didn't know how, and he really didn't want anyone else from the Agency to be involved. Of course, he knew how to go through the air line reservations, but what if Shinta had gone through with a name other than his. Nothing would stop him from picking up a phony passport and leaving.

He had to ask a professional. He had never dealt with such situations; the Captain had always made everything so easy for him…but the Captain wasn't here to help him anymore. Sano bit his lip as the Captain's face floated into his memory, and he shook his head. This was no time for emotions, if he didn't act fast, he might lose Kaoru same way he lost the Captain.

He had to get to Saitou fast. Saitou knew about these stuff, and he will gladly help him if he knew it would help rescue Kaoru. He got to Saitou's place, parked his car and hurried into the building where Saitou lived. He got to the apartment. He glanced at his watch before knocking on the door. It was three in the morning.

_Oh, Saitou's gonna be pissed when I wake him up. Let's hope I really don't interrupt a good dream of his. _He pressed the buzzer and bang on the door. He kept doing that for a couple of minutes before finally hearing the distinctive voice of some one unshackling the bolts on his door. An angry-looking Saitou stood in the doorway.

'This better be good, Sagara,' Saitou hissed. 'Because if it isn't, I have a good mind to grab you and throw you off my balcony.'

'I thought this might interest you,' Sano said. 'Kaoru got kidnapped.'

Saitou narrowed his eyes at him. 'Sagara, the first of April is two month, twenty days away,' he told him, sounding really irritated. 'And when April Fool does come, don't go and try that stupid trick on me again.'

'I'm not tricking you, Saitou! Kaoru really got kidnapped! And I seriously need your help right now!' Sano said angrily.

'Knock it off, Sagara,' Saitou said irritably. He started to close the door. 'Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to rest…'

Sano pushed the door open. 'What's the matter with you?' he snapped. 'I'm telling you Kaoru got kidnapped! How can you act so calmly about it?'

Saitoh faltered. 'Wait…you were being serious?' he said, looking surprised; something Sano didn't think Saitoh was capable of.

'Of course I'm serious! Did you think I was joking?' Sano snapped. He grabbed Saitou's arm and started to pull him out the door. 'Now, c'mon! You gotta help me locate the plane on which Kaoru left!'

Saitou pulled his arm away. 'I want details,' he told him.

'Saitou! This is no time for details! Stop being dense! Kaoru's could be in mortal danger!' Sano exploded.

'Who's in mortal danger?'

Sano whirled around and saw that a man had popped his head out of his apartment's door and was looking interestedly at them. 'No one's in mortal danger. We were just practicing for a play; go back to bed…sorry if we disturbed you,' Sano said, smiling weakly. The man shrugged and went back into his apartment. Sano glared angrily at Saitou. 'Well, what are you waiting for? We have to go help Kaoru.'

'Okay, let me get dressed then,' Saitou agreed. 'But you're giving details in the car.'

Sano leaned against the doorframe as he waited for Saitoh to get dressed. _Don't worry, Kaoru, we'll find you…somehow…_

-

Kaoru gripped the arms of her chair tightly, before releasing her hold on them moments later. She fidgeted with the straps of her safety belt, tightening it and loosening it every now and then. Truth was, she never like planes; she only felt safe when her feet were touching the ground, and certainly not in sky.

Shinta placed a hand over hers, and she jumped. 'Relax, Kaoru, you're safe here,' he soothed her. '…unless, of course, something goes wrong with the engines and the plane crashes and…'

He stopped when Kaoru slapped his hand away.

She glared at him. 'I don't your help,' she said sharply. 'I'm doing fine on my own…and I don't remember giving you permission to touch me in the first place.'

Shinta smirked. 'Permission?' he repeated. 'But, dear, I'm your husband; I don't need permission to touch you.'

Kaoru continued to glare at him. 'You're only my husband by passport, Shinta,' she reminded him. 'And until and unless we exchange rings, which is never going to happen, you're always gonna remain scum to me.'

'You have a sharp tongue, I'm gonna have to take care of that later,' Shinta said coldly, and he was no longer smiling. Kaoru just unbuckled her belt and stood up. 'Where do you think you're going?'

'To the bathroom,' she muttered. 'Anywhere away from you would be better.'

'I'm going with you,' he said, starting to unbuckle his belt too.

'What are you? A pervert as well as a murderer?' she hissed. 'I can go to the bathroom on my own just fine…I don't need your help or your escort.'

Kaoru stayed for a moment to savor the baffled expression on Shinta's face, before heading to the back of the plane. The bathroom was vacant, and she pushed the door open and went inside. She locked it and leaned against it. She closed her eyes for a moment before placing her hand in her pocket and pulling out a small notebook and a pen. The moment she had found those in her pocket, she had felt extremely happy; now she was able to send a message to her friends. She had wanted to leave a note in one of the airports' toilets, but Shinta wouldn't let her out of his sight. Now was her chance…by any luck, some one will find the note and…then she'll be saved; Kenshin will come to help her…she was sure of it…

She quickly scribbled her note, and placed it near the sink. She looked at it for one last time. It read the words,

**"Please, to the one who finds this note, call this number, 500-244, a Sanosuke Sagara will answer, tell him I'm in Japan, tell him to hurry…please; my life depends on it."**

_Please…someone find it…_

**-**

**A/N: So, how did you like it? Was it worth the wait? I seriously hope it was. I'm really sorry for the delay but as I told you before, I was grounded. Anyway, I'll be uploading quicker later on so wait for my next chapter…and reviews will be appreciated, thanks!**

_- S. N. B. _


	17. Love and Hate

**D/C: I sadly don't own Rurouni Kenshin.**

**First of all, thanks for the reviews. Second of all, you must understand that writing this story has exhausted me, mainly coz I've never written anything so long!! Although I really like this story, I'll be glad when it's finally over. Nevertheless, for the mean time…enjoy!!**

**CHAPTER 17:**

'Himura-sama, you're back!'

It pained Kenshin when those poor people called him "Himura-sama", but he had to endure it from them, mainly because Shinta would kill them if he ever got wind that Kenshin had told them to drop the title…he would punish them, and not his brother…although Kenshin pretty much wished he would. When all this was over, he was going to let everyone roam free, and he'd pay them considerable amounts of money, although he knew no amount would be worth the pain and suffering Shinta put them through.

'Yes, Gehie,' he said in a harsh tone that resembled Shinta's. 'Did anything happen while I was away?'

'No, Himura-sama,' Gehie said, bowing his head as he spoke, not daring to catch his eye. 'Everything was well while you were gone.'

Kenshin saw the man glancing at his three companions. 'They are here under my invitation, Gehie,' he said. 'I'm going to my office now, and I don't want to be disturbed for any reason, understand?'

Gehie nodded his head. Kenshin looked around at his brother-in-law and two spies, and beckoned them forward. Gehie stood aside, with his head bowed, to let them pass, and they walked down the corridor.

'They really don't suspect a thing, do they?' Aoshi said quietly.

'No, they don't,' Kenshin replied, without looking at him. He got to a door at the end of the corridor. 'Here we are.'

'Not a very clever hide-out, though, isn't it?' Aoshi said, looking around. 'An apartment in the middle of the city?'

'This is the rich part of the city,' Kenshin told him as he unlocked the door. He opened it and looked around at Aoshi before walking in. 'Authorities would think we are hiding in a rundown sort of place, won't they? At least, that's what my brother says, and frankly, I agree with him.'

Aoshi didn't say anything more. Kenshin smiled shortly and allowed them into the room. They all filed inside and he closed the door.

'I'm not leaning on the hope of finding anything here, because I know Shinta to be extremely cautious,' Kenshin told them. 'But maybe Shinta left something in his moment of hastiness, and we'll have to search for that thing.' Nobody said anything, and Kenshin nodded. 'Shinomori-san and Hannya-san, you take that filing cabinet in the corner…Enishi, you go through these folders…'

As everyone did as directed, although it was grudgingly in Enishi's case, Kenshin sat down at the desk and booted his brother's computer. When Shinta had been around, he hadn't been allowed to touch this computer, but now, with Shinta gone, Kenshin felt free to do anything. He felt free like he hadn't been in so many years.

Yet, he didn't feel all happy about it. He didn't feel happy because he knew he was getting all this freedom on Kaoru's expense. While he sat here at his brother's desk, looking through his brother's files and documents, Kaoru was somewhere with Shinta, being insulted, tortured…he didn't know. What he knew was that he had to find her quickly before Shinta did anything to her. Kaoru was the only person he had ever opened to since Tomoe, and he couldn't even bear the thought of having to lose her.

His expression screwed, he started searching the computer. Shinta had been working on something that other day, and he wouldn't tell him what he was doing. Somehow, he had the feeling that this was the thing that would lead him to their whereabouts, and he had to find it.

Enishi sat across from him, looking through the folders Kenshin had indicated. He kept shooting furtive glances at him over the top of the folders, like he couldn't trust him. Kenshin didn't blame him; what Enishi had seen as a kid was too horrible and too real, he didn't blame him for not trusting him, he wouldn't have trusted himself if he had been in Enishi's place.

'Found anything yet?' he asked him, in an attempt to make conversation rather than make the inquiry.

'Don't you think I'd have told you if I did?' Enishi muttered.

Kenshin nodded, smiling apologetically. He looked around at Aoshi and Hannya. The two men were standing side be side, looking through the filing cabinet. He opened his mouth to ask them the same question.

'No, Himura-san, we didn't find anything,' Aoshi said.

Kenshin smiled again. Enishi knew how to pick his minions; these guys were obviously extremely skilled ninjas, although he did have some doubts about the short girl called Misao. He turned back to his computer and resumed his search. There was no time to waste with Kaoru's safety at stake.

-

'You found anything yet?'

Sano knew he had been asking that same question repeatedly over the last hour, but he was getting quite edgy and restless. He and Saitoh had gone to the station where Saitou worked. Saitou had gone to his office and had silently started working on his computer. From what Sano had glimpsed every time he had peered over Saitou's shoulder, he gathered that the cop was searching every ticket to have been processed that day.

Saitou cursed aloud. 'Will you shut up, Sagara? I'm trying to concentrate,' he snapped. 'I'll tell you when I've found something.'

'Don't you think they'd have gone under a couple of fake passports?' Sano asked, as he paced around the room.

'Probably,' Saitou answered shortly.

'So how the hell do you know what you're looking for?' Sano demanded.

'I'm looking for a couple named Kawashiro,' Saitou said, with a note of irritation in his voice.

Sano stared at the back of Saitou's head. 'Kawashiro? What?' he said, and spluttered with laughter. 'Hajime, sometimes I think you're losing it.'

'And I always wonder how you got into the Agency with a thick skull like yours,' Saitou said without looking at him, and before Sano could protest, he launched on with his explanation. 'A married couple under the name Kawashiro have been reported to be missing since two days…relatives have told us that they had been planning on going out of the country for a while…in fact, they had gone to a traveling agency the night they disappeared…and somehow, I have a hunch that this Himura of yours killed them, nicked their passports and gone with Kaoru using the passports…I also assume that he just simply changed the photographs on the two passports…simple, but clever if you ask me, this way he'd avoid being caught with a couple of fake passports.'

'And what if he didn't do that?' Sano asked slowly. 'What if your theory is a hundred percent wrong?'

'Then we'll have to depend on sheer luck,' Saitou replied, and from his tone, Sano realized that he didn't have much hope from plan B.

His cell phone rang and he answered the call. 'Yeah? Sanosuke Sagara speaking, who is it?' he said.

'It's Kenshin,' the voice on the other end answered, and he sounded breathless and excited. For a moment, Sano found it bizarre that he was having a phone conversation with Kenshin Himura, before he remembered that the guy was on his side. 'We've found them…we found where Shinta and Kaoru are!'

'Where are they?' Sano asked, not knowing whether he should feel relieved or not.

'Currently, they're on a plane taking them to Japan,' Kenshin answered.

'I thought you said your brother didn't like that place!!' Sano exploded.

'That's what I thought as well, but I found that he had recently rented an apartment in Tokyo, and why would he do that if he wasn't going there?' Kenshin said wearily. 'But right now we need tickets to Japan fast, think you can arrange that?'

'Yeah, I suppose,' Sano muttered. 'Meet me back at the office and I'll have the tickets ready.' He hung up and turned around to look at Saitou. 'They're in…'

'They're going to Japan; they left at four thirty a.m. and are going to reach there at six twenty p.m.,' Saitou told him. 'There's another flight at nine a.m., shall I book tickets or will you do it?'

'You…?' Sano said.

'I'm coming along, aren't I? I ought to be of some help,' Saitoh said in a business-like tone. 'How many tickets do we need? Six…seven?'

'Seven,' Sano told him. He didn't want to drag the whole lot along with him to Japan, but he knew none of them would take no for an answer. 'You book the tickets, I've got a phone call to make.' Sano said absently. He stepped out of the office and punched in a number on his cell phone. He listened to the rhythmic beat of the phone for a whole minute before it was finally picked up. 'Hello? Megumi?'

'Yeah,' came the sleepy reply. 'Who is it? Don't you know it's five thirty in the morning? Some people are trying to get some sleep here, y'know!'

'Sorry,' he murmured. 'I really didn't mean to wake you up, but…'

'Oh, my God! Sano, is that you?' she demanded, sounding more alert all of a sudden.

'Yeah, it's me,' he murmured. Sano felt uncomfortable about this conversation; he had never called up Megumi's place. But when he knew they were going to Japan, he felt like he…just _had _to call her.

'What is it? What's the matter?' she asked anxiously. 'Did something go wrong? Did you get shot? Did somebody attack you or…?'

Sano laughed. 'No, it's okay, I'm fine, really,' he assured her.

'Okay, I don't understand,' Megumi said, sounding a bit confused. 'Why did you call me at such an early hour then? Couldn't you have waited a bit more? I have a shift at ten o'clock and I'm really trying to get some sleep, I'm staying there the whole day.'

'I just wanted to say good bye,' Sano said.

'Good bye?' she repeated, nonchalantly.

'I'm going to Japan for a while, I don't know when I'll be coming back,' he explained. 'I just thought it would be…rude to go and not say good bye after all what you've done to me.'

'Oh,' she said, sounding quite expressionless. She paused for a moment. 'When are you leaving?'

'I'm leaving in three hours or so,' he answered.

'Is it important? Do you really have to go?' she asked. 'Can't somebody else go?'

'No, this is really important, it concerns Kaoru,' he replied. 'She's been kidnapped and I really have to go look for her.'

'Kaoru's been kidnapped? Oh, my God! Are you serious?' she cried out, and he grunted in reply. 'Wow, that's...well, be careful, okay? Don't come back with all these bullet holes and cuts and bruises, that's going to take me lots of time to patch up and I really don't have much time to spare for you because I'm…'

'I love you,' he said, saying it before he could stop himself. He didn't feel embarrassed, he knew it was the truth, and he felt better just telling Megumi what he felt before he left to Japan, because he really didn't know what was going to happen to him there…but Megumi was silent. He could hear her inhaling sharply on the other end of the line, and he sensed that she was uncomfortable with the conversation. 'You don't have to say any…'

'It took you that long to figure out your feelings…to finally catch on?' she said softly. 'Do you know what happened between me and Izumi? I broke up with him, I broke up with him for you…and when I did, I was afraid that I did it for nothing and that you didn't think of me the way I thought of you…'

'I…' he started.

'I'm glad you finally said it, though, although I wish it wasn't over the phone,' she continued. 'But it's good, because I wanted to tell you that I love you, too.'

Sano smiled, and that was his first genuine smile since ages. 'Megumi…' he whispered.

'Just try to come back in one piece,' she cut him off. 'And when you do, be sure to come to my doorstep to confront me…phone calls are nice but they become sort of lame.'

'I will,' he told her.

'Good, I'll be waiting,' she said softly.

-

'Thank you, we hope you enjoy your stay here at Japan,'

After nearly fourteen hours on the plane, Kaoru and Shinta had finally arrived to Japan. They had checked in, had their passports stamped and were now heading to what seemed like a long stay in her home country.

Shinta pulled her inside a cab and gave instructions to the driver to make it to the nearest underground train station. He paid money to the driver, and then hurried her outside. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the flight of stairs to the underground station. He got their tickets, and beckoned her to follow him. He didn't exchange a word with her the whole time, and she was glad of that; the less time she had to spend talking to him, the better.

He took her to the safe deposit there, and stopped beside one cabinet. Kaoru looked over his shoulder as he opened the cabinet with a key. She uttered a sharp gasp as she saw what was inside.

Shinta grinned at her as he pocketed the gun he had just withdrawn out of the cabinet. 'Yes, Kaoru, I didn't have a gun the whole time you were with me, if that's what you're thinking,' he told her. 'I dropped the gun I had been using in your car back at the airport in New York…how else did you think I got through the screening and scanning process?'

Kaoru just kept staring at him. Here she was, thinking he had some gun especially made to be able to get through scanning, and it turns out he had left his gun behind. She had been able to run away from him all the time and she didn't, she had been too worried about the safety of others to dare do anything. But now, she just felt extremely stupid.

'You bastard…' she hissed. 'How dare you?'

'Watch your mouth, I didn't have a gun before but now I do,' he snapped. 'And I'll carry out my word if you require me to put up with your behavior.'

'You were just toying with me the whole time,' she said angrily. 'How could you?'

'I simply could,' he told her. 'Now if you don't mind, I want to take the train to Tokyo…I have a comfortable apartment waiting for me and I'd rather not keep it waiting…shall we go?'

Feeling rather defeated and angry at herself, Kaoru went after him. How could she have been so stupid? What was the matter with her? Where had her experience as a FBI agent gone? All through the train ride, she kept silent as she pondered over the thoughts which filed her head. Shinta made stabs of conversation as they sat, but she ignored him completely; she was mad beyond words. She felt like she had been used, and she really hated that. How dare he make a fool out of her like that? She felt like a complete idiot.

All this time, those fourteen hours on the plane, she could've grabbed Shinta and cuffed him. She would've able to arrest him without having to worry about the safety of all these passengers sitting around her. She'd have been able to call her friends, to tell them that she had caught Shinta, that there was no reason to be worried anymore. She would've told Kenshin that his name was finally cleared, that he needn't hide in the dark any longer.

After another two hours on the train, they reached Tokyo. They were both silent as they took a cab to Shinta's apartment. The building where Shinta's "comfortable" apartment looked like a rundown sort of place. It was really shabby, the walls were dirty and the smell around the area was pretty horrible.

'This is your fancy home?' she said, raising her eyebrows at him.

'It's different on the inside, you'll see,' he replied.

The inside was just as shabby as the outside. Assuming that the apartment was what he meant when he talked about "different", she followed him up the staircase to flat number 35. Shinta unlocked the door and stepped aside to let her pass through. Kaoru took a good look around the place, and she had to admit that the place looked quite comfortable and nice.

'What did I tell you?' Shinta said proudly, as he closed the door and locked it. 'We're gonna have a really nice and long stay in this place.'

Kaoru snorted. 'Yeah, that's what you think,' she muttered.

'Excuse me?' he said, looking mildly surprised.

'My friends will come and find me a lot sooner than you think,' she told him.

'Oh, really? And what makes you say that?' he asked, leaning against the wall. He smiled triumphantly at her. 'May I remind you that your friends currently know nothing about your whereabouts?'

'Yeah, but they will once someone finds the note I left and calls them,' she said, feeling extremely proud of herself.

'Note? What note?' Shinta said, frowning at her.

'The note I left in the plane's bathroom and on which I told the person to find it to call Sano and tell him where I am,' she told him.

She expected to see the baffled look on Shinta's look any moment now, but to her immense surprise, he smiled at her and pulled something out of his pocket. 'Oh, you mean this note?' he asked, holding the slip of paper before her face. 'Thank God, I thought you were talking about some other note, now that would've been disastrous.'

Kaoru was shocked. 'Where did you get that from?' she demanded.

'From the bathroom, of course,' he replied, continuing to grin.

'How did you find it?' she cried, an utmost feeling of defeat and misery building up in her chest.

'Kaoru, you keep underestimating me,' he said in a reasonable tone. 'You think an old trick like this would slip by me? I went to the bathroom right after you took that little one hour nap of yours…I know you didn't mean to sleep, but I guess you were just tired after the night's events…you don't need to feel so bad about yourself, Kaoru.'

Kaoru just stood there in the middle of the room, her chest heaving up and down as her brain registered what Shinta had just told her.

She glared at him, trying to fight the tears out of her eyes. 'Kenshin was right about you!' she screamed. 'When he used to tell me about how evil you were I thought he was kinda exaggerating! But now that I've really come to know you, I know that there was no exaggerating in his words, in fact, he had never done you justice!! You are such a bastard!! You don't care how many lives ad spirits you crush as long as you remain happy, don't you?'

'Yes, Kaoru, I don't,' he snapped, and he, too, seemed angry. 'And now you're telling me that you knew about me all along, that Kenshin's little tale of finding a new Tomoe was just a lie all along! He's told me that he never told you about me, that you just accepted him the way Tomoe did, that you knew he was a good person even though all evidence pointed to the opposite was just a lie!!!'

'So what if it was a lie?' Kaoru shot back. 'You don't know the pain you've put Kenshin through, do you? When he spoke to me, all I heard in his voice was pain and sorrow, I never felt him to be happy! Kenshin doesn't have to suffer while you're the one who goes on dates and kills and destroys!! And what did you to Tomoe, anyway? Killed her, I assume?'

'Yes, I killed her, Kaoru,' he hissed. 'I killed her because I couldn't risk being known.'

'Well, I know you!' she spat. 'Why don't you kill me? I want you to kill me!!'

'No, I won't kill you,' he said quietly.

'Why not?' she said heatedly. 'You killed Tomoe! Why not kill me as well?'

'That's none of your business,' he said dismissively. 'Why didn't you report me?'

'I didn't because Kenshin told me not to! You think I did it for you?' she snapped, and laughed. 'You think I'd ever do something like that to you? I'd never over up for a worthless piece of scum like you! I wanted to report you, but Kenshin kept insisting that I didn't, and…'

'Shut up!!' Shinta exploded, and Kaoru fell silent.

It wasn't that she feared Shinta or anything; it was just that she had never seen him so angry before. She had never seen him so hurt. For the first time, Kaoru saw that Shinta was hurt…and she really didn't understand why. One of his contact lenses slid off, and for the first moment, Kaoru got the impression that he was actually crying.

'Go to your room,' he ordered her, pointing at one door.

'What do you mean, go to your room?' she demanded. 'You can't boss me!!'

'Go to your room!!' he shouted again. 'I don't want to hear anything from you; I just want you to go to your room till I call you again!!'

'Fine!!' she shot back. 'At least then I won't have to look at your…face!!'

She turned on her heels and strode into the room. She slammed the door shut behind her and strode over to the small bed in the middle. She plopped down on the bed and put her face in her hands.

Back there she had wanted to say "ugly", but she couldn't bring herself to do that. It was just that he and Kenshin were twins, and even though there was a huge difference between the two, it still felt like you were talking to the exact same person.

She still wanted to know why Shinta had been so upset about what she had screamed at him back there. Did he have some feelings for her? Did Shinta actually like her?

These thoughts were driven from her mind as she remembered why they had started shouting in the first place. The note. Shinta had found the note, and now, much as she hated to admit it, she knew her friends would never find her. How would they be able to locate her? It was just too impossible.

Now, she felt really defeated.

**-**

**A/N: So, how was it? Somehow, I didn't feel that this chapter was really good. If you think otherwise, please don't hesitate to tell me; I'm waiting for your comments. Please review!! And wait for my next chappie!!**

_**- **S. N. B. _


	18. No Escape

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…if I did, I wouldn't be sitting writing this, now, would I?**

**Aw! Thank you so much for the reviews! They really got me my writing mood back! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You've made me touch 500…actually, 519, but what the heck; the more the merrier! Ah, well, anyway, glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope you will equally like this one!**

**CHAPTER 18: No Escape**

'Well, here we are, Japan sweet Japan,'

Kenshin cringed. It didn't feel like _Japan sweet Japan _to him, in fact, he felt really uncomfortable to be in his home country again. When he had left it ten years ago, he wished to never have to tread foot in Japan for as long as he lived. It carried awful memories, almost everywhere in this country screamed blood and murder in his face. And then there was Tomoe…

But unfortunately, current events stood barrier between him and this wish. He looked around at the others; Misao, Aoshi and Hannya looked remotely happy to be here, Enishi's face was totally impassive, and Sano and the man called Saitoh Hajime cast furtive glances around the place every once in a while; Kenshin guessed they had never visited Japan before.

'Sano! There you are!'

Kenshin whirled around, tensed. He saw a man wearing a crisp suit and a long black ponytail striding over towards them. However, he relaxed when he saw Sano smiling at the man. 'Katsu! It's been a long time!' Sano exclaimed. The man reached him and he gave him a one-armed hug. 'How're you doing?'

'I'm fine, business is great,' Katsu told him. He looked around at the group. 'Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?'

'Er, no, Katsu, maybe later, we really haven't got time for this,' Sano said quickly, since most of the group didn't look like they wanted to be introduced.

'Who's your friend, Sagara?' Saitou asked suddenly. 'Can we trust him?'

'Of course you can,' Sano snapped. 'This is Katsuhiro Tsukioka; he's a friend of mine and he runs and publishes his own newspaper…I called him up before we left and told him to arrange transportation and headquarters for us.'

'Yes, there are a couple of cars waiting for you outside and I've already rented you an apartment downtown,' Katsu told them. He turned to Sano. 'You wouldn't give me any details on the phone, but I assumed it would be pretty serious since you were coming to deal with this case yourself…what's wrong?'

A smile tugged at Kenshin's features as he recognized typical reporter curiosity in Tsukioka. 'Maybe we should discuss this where it's more private?' he suggested.

Katsu frowned at Kenshin for a moment, as if trying to recall where he'd seen him before. Kenshin knew he had recognized him; not many people in Japan had red hair and cross-shaped scars on their cheeks. He didn't care at the moment, and he found that he wasn't worried that an official might come to arrest him; Sano had assured him complete safety while he was him and Kenshin trusted him. Kaoru seemed to trust him and so he did.

But at the moment, he felt like he couldn't bear to have all the people in the airport to stare at him. He had never liked to be the centre of attention.

'Yes, Katsu, let's go, we're all exhausted and we need to get to the apartment,' Sano said, grabbing his friend by the arm and stirring him away towards the door which led outside the airport and out into the night.

They found two black cars outside. Enishi and his spies took a car all to themselves, and Kenshin, Sano, Saitoh and Katsu took the other. Katsu sat behind the stirring wheel and revved the engine. He pulled out from his parking space, and Enishi followed suit.

'So, Sanosuke, are you going to tell me about this case of yours?' Katsu asked after a few moments of silence.

'If you give me word that none of this will find its way to tomorrow's papers,' Sano said warningly, and Katsu grinned and nodded. 'I suppose you do recognize who is the man sitting in the backseat?'

'Naturally,' Katsu said coldly. 'It's Battousai, the man slayer.'

Kenshin didn't flinch. Although deep down, he felt something stab at his heart.

_Battousai…the man slayer…the hitokori..._

That was how the people of Japan acknowledged him and spoke about him. He had left his mark over many of the families living here. If you visited a house and found a shrine to a father, a wife, a son or a daughter and asked about how the death happened, there will be a great probability of you hearing, "He was murdered by the man slayer…Battousai."

That was how he will always be known. He'd never escape from his title. It didn't matter if his name got cleared, he knew people will continue to fear him and hate him. It was, after all, what you got for having a murderer for a brother.

-

'Kaoru, come out, you can't lock yourself in there forever…now come out or I'll smash the door.'

Kaoru squinted against the loud pounding on the door. She pushed away her bed sheets and sat up in her bed. It took her a moment to register where she was and how she got here. She looked at the clock hanging on the wall opposite her and saw that it was ten in the morning.

The pounding continued. 'Kaoru! Come out!' Shinta said angrily.

Pushing her dark hair back, Kaoru let out a weary sigh. Shinta was somehow giving her the "trick or treat?" kinda treatment; except there were no treats; only tricks. She had tried to escape from this room, but the only way out was the window, and they were on the forth floor. She knew it would be attempted suicide if she tried to jump out through the window. And Shinta hadn't left the house since they got here, so there was no chance to run out through the door. So, in her frustration, she had gone and locked herself up in her room, and retired to bed, since she felt extremely tired after the long journey.

'Kaoru!' Shinta said in a sharp tone.

Kaoru sighed again and got up from the bed. She crossed the room to the door, unlocked it and wrenched it open. Shinta stood there, smiling at her. 'What do you want?' she demanded.

'I was just wondering if you'd like to have breakfast with me,' he said, continuing to smile.

'Breakfast?' she repeated incredulously.

'Yeah, I thought you'd be hungry since you went to bed without any dinner last night,' Shinta said brightly.

Kaoru wanted to throw her arms up in exasperation, but Shinta was right; she did feel hungry. Slowly, she nodded. Shinta grinned and led her to the kitchen. As they crossed the apartment, Kaoru realized that there wasn't any telephone around, and felt a wave of hatred towards the man walking in front of her.

In the kitchen, Kaoru found that Shinta had a table set and prepared for two. Despite her hatred, she couldn't deny the fact that Shinta was a good cook; the food smelled absolutely delicious.

Shinta pulled out a chair for her and she sat down. He went and sat on the chair across from her. He grinned and rubbed his hands together.

'Let's eat!' he said happily, and Kaoru rolled her eyes. 'I never liked Japanese food, so I made a typical American breakfast…I hope you don't mind.'

Kaoru shook her head, but she didn't touch the food. She watched silently as Shinta hauled a couple of pancakes onto his plate and started eating happily. She knew he wouldn't have poisoned the food; he wanted her alive…although why he wanted her alive, she didn't know. But she still was reluctant to take anything he was offering her.

'Is something wrong?' he asked curiously.

'How can you eat with your hands knowing how much murders they've caused?' she asked coldly.

'I have to survive, haven't I?' he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

'How can you be so calm about it?' she demanded. 'You've killed many people and destroyed many lives! Doesn't that remain on your conscience? Doesn't it bother you?'

Shinta sighed and put down his fork. He had expected to receive such blows from Kaoru, but that didn't make it any less unpleasant. 'No, it doesn't bother me,' he said quietly. 'I eliminate the people who hate me and disobey me and who work against me, that way I can sleep at night knowing that I'll wake up with one problem off my back, understand?'

'So, the Captain and Sayo Amakusa, they were just some problems that needed elimination?' she spat.

'Precisely,' Shinta said. 'The Captain survived my attack one time, and I didn't know of that then, I had to kill him…I couldn't leave behind a man who had managed to live after I had striked him; that would really ruin my reputation.'

'And Sayo? Why did you shoot her? What did she do to you?' she demanded.

'Don't be stupid, it's not her I wanted dead,' he snapped. 'I wanted to kill that Sagara kid because he was nosing in a lot! I couldn't have that! If that girl hadn't blocked the way, he would've been dead by now.'

Kaoru took in a sharp breath. 'You bastard…' she hissed.

'You know, you've said that word about a hundred times since yesterday, and frankly, I don't like it, so I'd rather you never say it again,' he said angrily.

Kaoru let out a derisive laugh. 'How do you expect me to be polite to you when you've killed my friends, kidnapped me, and are planning to probably kill me?' she demanded.

'I already told you before that I'm not going to kill you,' Shinta said softy.

'And once again, I ask you why?' she asked sharply.

Shinta stood up, looking irritated and angry. 'I'm going out, I need to finish some errands,' he told her. 'You sit here and finish your breakfast. You're not to go anywhere while I'm out, understand?'

Kaoru didn't reply, and stared down at the table in an attempt to hide her happy grin. _The idiot's going out and leaving me alone? And he expects me to stay here? Doesn't he know I'm going to escape the minute he leaves? How stupid can one get?_

'Understand?' he said again, sharply this time.

'Yeah, whatever,' she muttered.

Shinta seemed to take that as a yes, because he left the kitchen. Minutes later, she heard the front door being slammed shut. She held her ground for a few minutes, and sat gripping the edge of the wooden table. She didn't want to rush to the door because there was the possibility of Shinta returning because he had forgotten something, and she didn't want to cross Shinta while attempting to escape.

She waited for nearly ten minutes, before finally rising from the table and heading straight to the door. She pulled a pin from her hair as she kneeled down before the lock, and silently started working on it.

But the lock was proving extremely tricky. Kaoru felt beads of sweat rolling down her face as she picked at the lock, listening closely for the distinctive click which indicated that the lock was undone…but there was none.

After what seemed like ages, Kaoru finally gave up, deciding that Shinta must've used more than locks to keep her inside. She kicked angrily at the door, but it was rock solid, and wouldn't even shake at her kick; she assumed it had an iron filling between the layers of wood. She cursed Shinta over and over again. Then she sighed wearily and decided to look through the house for another way out. She remembered that buildings such as this one always had a fire-escape.

Feeling excited at the mere thought, Kaoru started searching for one. She looked everywhere; the kitchen, the living room, the toilet…there was none. Finally, she found herself standing before the door to Shinta's room. She tried the knob, but found that the door was locked. Determined not to let any more doors stop her, she stepped back and threw a strong kick at the door. It stayed solid. She kicked it again, and the door flung open.

Grinning appreciatively, she stepped into the room. She cast a quick look around the room. It was tastefully furnished, and looked extremely comfortable; if she wasn't in such a hurry, she'd consider having a little nap on that bed.

She strode directly to the window, and pulled it open. She looked out through it, and there it was; the iron staircase leading down to an alley between the building and another. Feeling extremely excited, Kaoru swung one foot over through the window, and pulled the other one up, landing safely on the staircase. Heart thumping loudly in her chest, she quickly and as quietly as possible, she made her way down the stairs, gripping the railing for support. She looked down at the steps…another ten more and she'd be free…she'd go and call her friends up, and go to the local police, and…

Kaoru froze as she reached the last flight of steps, and stared at the person standing at the bottom of the stairs, hands pushed deep in his coat, and he was smiling up at her.

'Well, Kaoru, I see you didn't fail my expectations and you did try to escape,' Shinta said.

Kaoru didn't move. 'How the hell did you know I was going to escape?' she demanded.

'Escaping is a natural thing, Kaoru,' Shinta replied. 'I knew you were going to try and escape the moment I leave the apartment.'

'You were waiting for me?' she said, incredulously.

'Of course I was,' he said calmly. 'You think I am about to let you run away from me? Think again, Kaoru, because I won't…now come down here to me.'

Kaoru still didn't move. She just glared at him as she digested what was happening around her. Her escaping attempt had failed. Shinta was keeping an eye on her and she will probably never be able to try and escape again.

'Come down here, Kaoru,' he repeated, watching her warily.

Kaoru still didn't move. She could jump down from here and make a run for it, but would she succeed? Shinta was probably too fast, and it wouldn't be possible for her to outrun him, and she didn't have any weapon to hold him off.

'Any time today, Kaoru,' he said mockingly. Kaoru nodded, and started descending the stairs towards him. He smiled at her. 'That's a good girl…'

But he didn't anticipate what came next. Kaoru's fist had connected with his face, and he staggered. Kaoru took this opportunity and ran as fast as she could. Her heart thumped in her chest, and she was breathing rather quickly and raggedly.

She had to get out of here. Once she got to the main street she'll be able to lose him and ask somebody for help. She had to hurry. She knew it was all over as she felt cold fingers wrapping themselves around her wrist. Shinta yanked at her arm and pulled her around to him.

For the moment, Kaoru felt really scared as she looked at him. He was sporting a bloody nose and looked extremely angry. He was glaring at her and she saw a hint of red in his eyes. 'You bitch!' he shouted…and slapped her.

Kaoru gasped. She would've stumbled back if Shinta wasn't gripping her wrist. Her free hand flew to her cheek, and she stared at him. No one had ever slapped her before, and she felt tremendously shocked that it was Shinta who did it. She tried to look unfazed and undisturbed, but her eyes betrayed her, for she really feared Shinta at the moment. She had never seen him this angry before, and it scared her. She pulled her hand away and recoiled slightly from him.

Shinta seemed to notice her fear, and his expression softened a bit. 'C'mon,' he said quietly. He reached for her hand and held it, although he held it gently this time. 'We're going back home.'

-

Sano watched as Misao blabbered on the phone in Japanese. He watched, rather than listened, because he really didn't understand that much of Japanese, even though he was Japanese, himself.

Aoshi was sitting in a corner, meditating, and the other guy, Hannya, was no where to be seen. Kenshin and Enishi had left the place an hour ago and hadn't returned yet; Sano was starting to wonder what they were up to. And finally, there was Saitou; who was watching everybody over the cigarette he was smoking.

Grumbling, Sano got up from the couch, and started pacing around the room. He hated this. They had been here for three hours, and they still hadn't done anything to save Kaoru. After they'd filled Katsu on everything, he told them that he'll keep a look-out for any murders which occur around the city and will have them informed of it immediately, and then he left for his office. Kenshin and Enishi told them that there was something really important they had to do, and that they wouldn't be late, which they were. Aoshi had just sat and meditated while Misao went and made several phone calls. Sano was starting to feel restless, and so was Saitoh.

Cigarette still stuck firmly in his mouth, Saitou left his position by the window, and walked over to Sano. He was scowling; the idea of having to make conversation with Sano was obviously torturing him. 'Hey, Sagara,' he said gruffly.

Sano stopped pacing, and looked at him warily. 'Yeah?' he said.

'What are we doing? I thought we came here to help Kaoru?' he inquired. 'Why aren't we doing anything then?'

'I don't know, Hajime!' Sano said irritably. 'Do you think I'd be sitting here in this room with _you_ people if I did know what to do?'

Saitou and Misao both gave him dirty looks; Misao obviously was able to listen to other people's conversations and yet be able to concentrate on hers.

Sano sighed wearily. 'Unfortunately, I don't know a thing about Tokyo, and since Shinta wasn't generous enough to leave the address of his apartment, I don't see what we can do,' he muttered. 'I'll have to talk to Kenshin once he gets back, he might have an idea where his brother went off with Kaoru.'

'How did Kaoru get into this mess, anyway?' Saitou asked, trying not to look interested, but failing miserably.

'Kaoru and Kenshin had some sort of relationship going, y'see,' Sano said, and smirked inwardly; he knew this subject wasn't too pleasant for the ex-boyfriend. 'Kenshin told Kaoru about him having a twin and everything; they sorta trusted each other and everything kinda…clicked between them, y'know?'

'Yeah, I know,' Saitou muttered.

'Well, I guess Shinta had taken some sort of interest in Kaoru as well, and that's why he had kidnapped her,' Sano continued, watching Saitou out of the corner of his eye; the man's jaw was working furiously. 'Of course, he also kidnapped her because he needed a hostage to get out of the place without me shooting him.'

'And Kaoru…she likes him, doesn't she?' Saitou asked.

'Sure she does,' Sano answered. He was trying hard to fight the impulse of laughing. 'You should've seen the way she had jumped to protect him when I was about to shoot him…of course, she thought it was Kenshin back then, and I'd don't think she'd have given him a second thought if she knew who it was.'

Saitou grunted in reply, and stalked off to the window. Sano knew Saitou still liked Kaoru, but that didn't help now, it was obvious that Kenshin and Kaoru were together now, whether he liked it or not.

'Done!' Misao suddenly exclaimed, after she had returned the phone to its position.

'Thank God!' Sano said. 'I thought you'd never be done with that phone!'

Misao scowled. 'No, you baka!' she snapped, and Sano glared at her; one of the words he knew so well was "baka", and he didn't like it. 'I meant, I was done summoning the rest of the Oniwubanshu and alerting them of the situation…they'll start scrapping the city for Shinta and Kaoru in no time.'

'Oh,' Sano said. He frowned. 'And where do I come in this? If your gang is going to do all the searching, then it doesn't seem as if you've left anything for me to do!'

Misao sighed in exasperation. 'Don't be a prat!' she said irritably. 'You will help…you're an FBI agent, you'll be really useful if we needed access to some high security locations.' She looked around at Aoshi. 'Aoshi?'

'Yes, good work, Misao,' he said, without looking up at her. Misao looked positively delighted.

Sano rolled his eyes. 'And what high security locations do you exactly mean, Misao?' he asked.

'Are you always that stupid, Sano?' Misao demanded.

'No, really,' Saitou spoke up, and Sano's eyes widened; Saitou was defending him? 'I know Sagara can be stupid, but he's right this time, you surely don't think Shinta will be hiding in a top security place, do you?'

Misao sighed and massaged her forehead. 'No, of course not,' she said, talking as if she were addressing a couple of children. 'But think about it…the underground community will probably be alerted of Shinta's arrival, don't you think? So, you'll be able to interrogate them freely because of your status, and you'll also be able to seek help from the local authorities around here…besides, if murders do occur here, we'll have to check the body, right? And since you're an agent, you'll be able to get into the scene of the crime and examine the body quite easily…do you understand your usefulness now?'

'Yeah, I do,' Sano muttered.

'Good,' Misao said, sounding relieved. 'Now, we'll just have to wait for Kenshin and the boss to return so we could discuss this with them…and I'm starting to get worried, they've been gone an awfully long time, haven't they?'

-

Kenshin walked down the all too familiar path to his old house, with Enishi walking silently by his side. They hadn't exchanged a word since they left the apartment, and Kenshin was finding the silence highly uncomfortable. He wanted to talk to his brother-in-law, but he didn't know how to start a conversation with him, and most importantly, Enishi didn't seem like he wanted Kenshin to talk to him, and that he really preferred the silence.

So he was really surprised when Enishi started talking. 'After Tomoe died, I was taken to an orphanage,' he said quietly. 'I didn't like it there, and everyday spent there made me hate you more and more…if it weren't for you, I would've never been sent to that orphanage in the first place.'

'Enishi…' Kenshin whispered, gripping the bouquet of tulips he was holding tightly.

'No, don't start feeding me that bullshit about you being innocent and that it was your brother who killed her,' Enishi interrupted him. 'I mean, it might be true, but it will always be your fault that she died…you walked in onto our lives and gave yourself that comfy role of the husband between us…we were well off without you, you know.'

'Enishi, I…' Kenshin started again.

'If you've never met Tomoe, she would have still been alive by now,' Enishi cut him off. 'I would be living with her right now.'

Kenshin didn't say anything then, because he knew Enishi was right. He was quite foolish back then; he had kid himself into believing that he could lead a normal life even with his brother still around. It was true; if he hadn't met Tomoe, she wouldn't have been killed.

'I didn't stay at the orphanage for long,' Enishi said. 'A rich couple came and adopted me and took good care of me…they died three months ago in a car crash, and left me all their wealth…and ever since then, I've been trying to track you down, so I could avenge my sister's death.'

Kenshin remained silent. He knew this must be terrible for Enishi. Tomoe was his only family, and losing her at an early age must've really devastated him. He wanted to say sorry, but he knew no words would ever be enough consolation for Enishi.

'We're here,' Enishi announced.

And sure enough, they were standing in front of the gate leading to the Yukishiros house. Kenshin knew Tomoe was buried there; she had told him that she had written in her will than when she died, she wanted to be buried in the house grounds beneath the ancient Oak tree which grew there. Enishi led the way to the backyard. The crossed the paddock which was now full of moss and weeds, and the small patch of dry earth which used to be Tomoe's garden, and stopped before the tree. There, at the foot of the tree, lied a small grave…

Emotions and memories filled Kenshin's head as he looked down at the small grave, and tears stung his eyes. Beside him, Enishi stood, staring blankly at the grave, although his face was a bit pale. He bent down and rested the bouquet on the grave. He straightened up, his hand in his pockets. Tomoe always loved flowers…the least thing he could do for her was to bring her flowers.

'I never understood why she trusted you, Himura,' Enishi whispered.

'So have I, Enishi,' Kenshin said sadly. _I didn't deserve Tomoe's trust, and I probably don't deserve Kaoru's trust either…I've failed Tomoe, and I might've even failed Kaoru…_

**-**

**A/N: So? How was this chappie? Was it good? I really hope it was. And was it too dramatic? Because I really hope it wasn't. Ok, and now that you've finished reading, I want you all to press the little purple button beneath and send me a review! And wait for my next chapter!**

_- S. N. B. _


	19. Pubs and Restaurants

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.**

**I'm back! Thanx for the reviews! And now, without further ado (and because I'm in no mood to write a note) I present to you, chapter 19! Oh, Japanese words will be used in this chappie, for reference and meanings, go to the end of the chappie, okay? Enjoy!**

**CHAPTER 19: Pubs and Restaurants**

'What's this?'

Kaoru looked down curiously at the white box Shinta had dropped into her hands. When Shinta had first opened the door to her room, she had recoiled a bit; she still hadn't quite gotten over her encounter with him after she'd tried to escape, even though he had said nothing about it later on, and had treated her quite normally. But now, all she could do was stare at the box, while he stood above her, smiling.

'Open it, come on,' he urged her.

'Okay…' she said slowly.

She, cautiously, lifted the lid of the box, and peered inside. She stared in surprise at what she saw, before setting the lid aside and reaching inside to pick up the object. 'You got me a dress?' she said incredulously.

'Yeah,' he said, grinning at her. 'Do you like it?'

Kaoru felt the silky fabric between her fingers. 'It seems nice…but why the hell would you get me a dress?' she demanded.

'Well, you'll need a dress once we go out to dinner tonight,' he said simply.

'Dinner?' she repeated. 'With you? You want me to have dinner with _you_?'

'Well…yeah,' he said. 'It wouldn't be polite if I left you to have dinner alone…besides, you wouldn't look nice sitting alone in a fancy restaurant, now, would you?'

'I'm not going,' Kaoru said firmly.

'Why not?' Shinta asked, sounding rather hurt.

'There's no way in hell I'm going out with you!' Kaoru snapped. 'How you got the nerve to even come and ask me out, I dunno, but I'm not going with you.'

Shinta laughed; and Kaoru shuddered at how cruel his laughter sounded. 'What gave you the impression that I'm _asking _you out, Kaoru?' he sneered. 'You _are _going to have dinner with me, and you don't have a saying in it, understand?'

'You can't force me into having dinner with you!' Kaoru said angrily.

'Oh, yes, I can,' Shinta snapped. 'You're going to wear that dress and you're going to have dinner with me at nine…which is seven hours from now, so I suggest you be ready.' And with that, he walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him, leaving Kaoru sitting on her bed clutching angrily at her dress.

-

Once outside the room, Shinta headed to the living room and slumped down onto the nearest couch. He sighed, shook his head, and buried his face in his hands.

This wasn't going as smoothly as he hoped it would. He had hoped that by bringing Kaoru here and cutting her off from her friends, she'd finally admit defeat and give in to him. Problem was; Kaoru was proving to be extremely difficult. Not only had she tried to reach her friends behind his back, but she had also attempted to escape right before his eyes. She was really exhausting him.

He knew he could rid himself of all the trouble by a quick and simple pull of a trigger or a slash of a sword, but he didn't want to kill Kaoru. Much as he hated to admit it, Shinta really liked Kaoru. It wasn't some random crush or physical attraction, he truly liked Kaoru. She was the first girl he had ever had feelings to, and he couldn't let her slip from between his fingers, even though he knew that it was Kenshin who Kaoru liked, and not him.

He knew he was risking a lot by taking her out to dinner tonight, but he had to make her fall for him no matter what the cost. He needed her to like him.

-

'I don't like this…and I thought the Red Boar was the pits,'

Misao and Aoshi had dragged them all to this pub where, as Misao said, all the _evil stuff_ happened. Sano stood at the door, looking into what seemed like a fighting pit rather than a regular pub. The place was extremely crowded; Sano had never seen so many Japanese people in one place before. Of course, they weren't regular people, you had your ruffians, drug dealers, burglars, thugs, and maybe even murderers hanging around here. Not exactly the place to meet and socialize with the _nice _people.

'You've been to the Red Boar?' Saitou asked curiously from behind him.

'Yeah…I didn't like it, though,' Sano said, grimacing slightly. He looked at Misao, who was dressed in black leather from head to foot; they had all come undercover to this place. 'What's this place called again?'

'Kuro Buta,' Aoshi said impassively.

'Come again?' Sano said apprehensively.

'It means the Black Pig in English,' Aoshi said quietly, the corners of his mouth twitching.

Sano sighed and shook his head. 'Figures,' he muttered under his breath.

'Okay,' Misao said, rubbing her hands together. 'We'll split up and do some asking around…don't ask too many questions per person, it might get suspicious, and if things turn ugly, then use your guns…and Sano, use your badge.'

'Hey, hold it!' Sano said. 'I don't know a friggin' word of Japanese! How the hell am I supposed to ask anybody anything?'

'Hajime will go with you,' Misao told him. 'I trust he knows Japanese, right?' Saitou nodded his head just a fraction. 'Good, then at least one of you isn't completely ignorant…and now that it's all settled, let's go.'

Sano's mouth worked furiously, but Misao and Aoshi had already stalked off. He grunted, and followed Saitou deeper into the pub. Kenshin hadn't come along because he would draw too much attention, and people would probably think it's weird if they asked him about him when he was standing right there. Enishi had stayed back with Kenshin…to make sure he doesn't go anywhere, as he had said. They were to both wait at the apartment for further instructions.

Sano pushed his hands deep into the pockets of his black coat and trudged after Saitou. They only stopped at the bar, and settled themselves on stools next to a couple of wary-looking guys. The bartender, a regular guy, to Sano's relief, stepped out before them, and Saitou ordered…Sano caught the word, "Sake".

'What are you ordering Sake for?' Sano hissed in his ear once the bartender had walked away. 'We don't want to get drunk on our mission!'

'I don't want us to look out of place, Sagara,' Saitou shot back. 'If you'll look around, you'll notice that everybody is hogging their drinks…and if you're clever enough, you'd just _pretend _to be drinking the damned Sake, understand?'

Sano scowled. 'Yeah, alright,' he muttered. Saitou smirked. He pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket, and pulled out one in a quick movement. He lit it and stuck it in his mouth, and blew the first puff of smoke in Sano's face. 'Blow that somewhere else.'

Saitou just smirked. Sano, fuming, glanced at the two men sitting next to Saitou. They were whispering darkly amongst themselves, and Sano was pretty sure they were the topic of their conversation. Sure enough, one of them started talking to Saitou. And of course, Sano didn't understand a word, so he started kicking himself mentally for never bothering to learn his mother tongue.

Saitou said something in reply, and nodded towards Sano. Sano felt slightly alarmed; nothing Saitou would say about him would be good…what was he telling those guys? He was rather surprised when the man started talking to him…in English.

'Your friend tells me you've just come here from America…is that right?' he said gruffly. There was a drunken air and look around him. 'You're a _Nisei_ then, aren't you?'

'Yeah…what's it got to do with you?' Sano said; Nisei was one word he knew; since he was one, himself.

'You're here on business, aren't you?' the man asked.

'Even if I were here on business, why should you be the one to know about it?' Sano said sharply, his criminal posture kicking into gear. 'One thing I learned is to never tell somebody you've met at the bar anything.'

The man chuckled. 'You've got your priorities right, mate,' he said. 'You're just new here, that's why I've been asking, that's all.'

'Yeah, well,' Sano muttered. 'You can quit asking and start answering.' Saitou shot him an inquiring look, but Sano just smiled. The bartender came back with their drinks, and Sano pretended to take a nip from his cup.

'Yeah, I assumed you'd want to ask questions…being new and all,' the man said. 'Shoot.'

'Who's the big boss at the moment?' Sano inquired, while Saitou sat and smoked his cigarette, watching him warily.

'No one,' the man answered. 'Unless you count that guy over there…' He pointed at a sallow-faced man sitting at the far edge of the bar. '…he's a raving lunatic, thinks he's on top of the world or something.'

His companion spoke up for the first time, and he seemed even more drunk that the later. 'No one's been up to the position ever since _he _left,' he muttered. 'Everyone's afraid _he _might come back and decapitate whoever got the nerve to take his place.'

'He?' Sano asked, although he knew perfectly well who they were talking about.

_'Chikusho_!' the man hissed. 'Don't tell me you haven't heard of him? Kenshin Himura…the Battousai?'

'Oh, yes, of course I did,' Sano replied, smiling. 'I'm sorry; it must've slipped my mind.'

The man swore loudly in Japanese, and Saitou put out his cigarette against the counter, earning himself an angry glare from the bartender. 'What do you mean, gone? Isn't he here anymore?' he asked, trying to look surprised..

The first man shook his head. 'No, he left the place ten years ago, no idea where he went,' he answered. 'We're well off without the bastard, anyway.'

'I assume you'd know if he ever came back?' Saitou questioned.

'Of course we would,' the second man said darkly. He took a swig out of the tankard before him and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. 'He'd leave someone lying around like a Koi ready for gutting as a mark of return…he always does that.'

'But...let's just say he came back and didn't want anybody informed of his arrival...maybe to discuss some private business or whatever he does,' Saitou suggested. 'I don't think he would've performed the gutting _chinkon_, now, would he?'

_'Shiranai_,' the second man mumbled, and Sano could only wonder what the word meant.

'I thought so,' Saitou murmured. He picked up his cup of Sake and took a sip. '_Hidoi-na_.'

'Why are you so interested in knowing about Battousai?' one of the men asked curiously.

'I'm just asking,' Saitou asked calmly. He took another sip of his Sake. 'My friend here is planning on staying here, and I do believe that he's gotta know about his surroundings before he can settle down, am I right?'

'Yeah, maybe,' the first man said, still sounding rather suspicious.

'Do you know anybody who was closely associated with the man?' Sano asked.

_'Iie_,' the man said, shaking his head. 'Any man close to Battousai is as dangerous as Battousai himself…no one around here would want anything to do with either of them.'

_'Wakaru_,' Saitou said, nodding his head slightly. He downed the rest of his Sake, and Sano couldn't help but shoot a glare at him. He smiled politely at the two men. 'Ah, well, _Arigatou-gozaimasu_, you've been of great help.'

He set his cup down on the bar, slipped some money to the bartender and slipped off his stool, beckoning Sano to follow him. Scowling, Sano followed suite and went after him. When they were well out of the two men's' sight, Sano grabbed Saitou's shoulder and pulled him back.

'Okay, are you going to explain anything, Mr. Know-it-all?' he hissed. 'And why'd you have to talk in Japanese when you knew the men perfectly handled the English language? Wanted to make me feel worthless, didn't you?'

Saitou let out a long-suffering sigh. 'Don't be a prat, Sagara,' he snapped. 'I told the men I'm a Japanese resident, of course I had to use some Japanese when talking with them, or else it would've been suspicious.'

'What were you telling them at the end?' Sano asked, scowling.

'I was thanking them, you baka!' Saitou snapped, and Sano's expression turned beetroot red. Saitou either didn't notice, or pretended not to notice, because he continued to speak. 'This was a waste of time, nobody knows that Battousai had returned…we should've stuck to searching the city rather than asking around…ah, well, at least the Sake was good; never had such a good drink in a while.'

Sano glared at him. 'Don't I recall you saying that we should only _pretend _to drink?' he demanded.

'Nobody told you to listen to me…' Saitou replied, smirking. '…_baka ka_.'

'What was that?' Sano demanded.

'Nothing, I just said let's go,' Saitou replied.

'No you didn't!!' Sano hissed. 'What did that mean?'

Saitou didn't even look at him as he made his way towards the pub's door. Sano continued to glower at him as he followed.

-

'A table for two, please,'

The waiter nodded. Kaoru was careful not to trip the hem of her dress as she and Shinta, arm-in-arm, followed the waiter to their table.

Anyone looking closely at her would see that she was highly distraught. Even though this was technically the same person she had gone out with on Christmas, it still wasn't him. The other time she had thought it was Kenshin she was going out with, only she discovered that it was actually Shinta. And now, she knew it was Shinta she was going out with, so there was no hope of him standing up in the middle of the date and announcing that he was actually Kenshin.

They got to the table. Shinta, who was still in disguise, pulled up a chair for her, and she sat down on it. He, then, took the other chair, smiling widely at her. The waiter then handed them two menus, said that he'll be back when they've finished ordering, and he left.

Shinta picked up his menu, opened it, and studied the food options for a while before peering at her from behind it. 'Aren't you going to have a look at yours?' he asked. 'I know all of these meals are Japanese, but they're all pretty good.' Kaoru glared at him as she picked up her menu. He frowned. 'Listen here, Kaoru, I thought we agreed on acting like a proper happy couple when we come here.'

'That's what you agreed to,' Kaoru muttered. 'I didn't say anything.'

'Why, I always thought silence meant agreement,' Shinta said, smiling lightly. Kaoru scowled. He looked down at his menu again. 'Okay, let's see, I hear the Nigiri is quite good…oh, and the Teriyaki too…what do you think, Kaoru?'

'I really don't know,' she murmured.

Shinta looked back at the menu. 'I say we also take the Mizore Soba…oh! And the Bento!' he exclaimed. 'I've always loved that one!'

'You like to have a variety of dishes in front of you, no?' she sneered.

Shinta didn't take this as offence; instead, he beamed at her. 'Why, well done, Kaoru!' he said, sounding happy. 'You actually were able to remember something from our last date! I must say, I'm really impressed!'

Kaoru just rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation. 'Can you order so we could finish and get out of here?' she said testily.

'Whatever you say,' Shinta agreed, and beckoned to the waiter to come forward. He told him what they had ordered, and smiled at the end. 'And some Sake and Vodka, please.'

Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him. 'If I can remember stuff from our date, then why can't you?' she snapped. 'You know perfectly well that I'm allergic to liquor of all kinds…and you go and order the strongest two?'

'Aw, c'mon, Kaoru, be a sport, a little liquor wouldn't hurt you,' he told her. 'We want to have fun, don't we? And we both know there won't be any fun without Sake.'

'Fun?' she repeated, frowning at him. 'What kind of fun do you exactly mean?'

Shinta smirked. 'I know what you're thinking, Kaoru, and don't worry, I don't mean _that _kinda fun,' he assured her. 'I meant, that unless and until you drink some Sake, I don't think you're about to drop that bitchy attitude of yours, what do you think? Am I right?'

'The only one being completely bitchy around here is you, so I really don't understand what you're talking about,' she said coolly. Shinta looked like he wanted to say something in reply, but contended himself with merely looking at her. Kaoru wanted to tell him to look away; she hated the way he looked at her, but she knew it was no use; he'll probably ignore her and continue to look at her all the same. 'I need to go to the toilet.'

'No,' Shinta said firmly. 'You aren't going to fool me. I know that once you go there you're going to try and escape.'

Kaoru scowled. _So much for plan A. _She _was _planning to escape once she went to the toilet, and she simply hated Shinta for predicting her move. She continued to glower at him for a while before speaking up again. ng happy. at her. es in front of you, no?''Why did you order both?' she asked suddenly.

'I thought you'd never ask!' Shinta exclaimed. 'Well, you see, I don't get drunk that easily, and I really want to get a taste of being drunk, so I'm going to mix both of the Sake and Vodka together! Brilliant idea, no?'

'No, I think it's stupid,' Kaoru replied. 'Why would anyone want to get themselves drunk?'

Kaoru almost hit herself after she had said it, and wished she could take it back. It was a good thing for her for Shinta to get drunk. This way she'll be more likely to manage to escape tonight if she tried to. Shinta won't be that focused and she'll be able to get by him a lot more easily…or at least, she thought she would.

'But if you really don't get drunk that easily, then…yeah, go for it,' she added.

She anxiously watched Shinta to see if he had bought it or not. For a second, he was frowning, but then he grinned at her, and she breathed in relief. From now on, she had to humor him. A couple of waiters then came back with their orders. They placed everything on the table before them, bowed their heads slightly, and turned and walked away.

'Arigatou!' Shinta called after them. He turned to Kaoru. 'Okay…this looks really good, doesn't it? I trust you haven't had a proper Japanese meal in years, have you?'

'No, I haven't,' Kaoru answered, smiling shortly. 'My whole life depended on fast-food.'

Shinta laughed. 'This is good! Your attitude is starting to warm up even before you've had any Sake!' he said happily. Kaoru didn't say anything. 'Okay, what will you have first?'

'Um…this one looks good,' Kaoru said, pointing at one dish, since she really didn't know its name.

'Oh, good choice!' Shinta complimented her. 'The Teriyaki's excellent! It's always been my favorite! Try the Mizore Soba too; it's really tasty.' Kaoru remained silent while Shinta filled her plate and his plate. Then he reached out for the bottles of Sake and Vodka. He popped up the lid of the Vodka bottle. 'What will you have?'

'Uh…just a little bit of Sake,' she murmured, since she knew he wouldn't take no for an answer.

Shinta poured out a small cup of Sake for her, and handed it over. Then he set about mixing his Vodka and Sake. With an expression of relish upon his features, he took the first sip from his glass.

'Ah, excellent,' he said, sighing deeply. 'Okay, shall we eat then?'

Kaoru found it difficult to eat with chopsticks, especially since she's been using the normal spoon and fork her whole life. Shinta, however, found it extremely normal, and he sat there, tasting everything on the table. He was drinking more and more, and to Kaoru's relief, did seem to be getting drunk. She, on the other hand, took to pretending to drink, while she really was pouring the Sake into the Bento box; that was one dish she wasn't going to touch.

When they were done, the waiters came and cleared the table. While they waited for dessert, Shinta started up a conversation while he sipped at his glass. 'This had been really nice, no, Kaoru?' he said, sounding drunk and hoarse.

'Yeah, I suppose it was,' Kaoru said quietly, nodding her head.

Shinta beamed at her. 'See? Now we're having fun,' he said. 'Aren't you glad I brought the liquor? I am.'

Kaoru just smiled at him. _I should do it now…he seems drunken enough…I can leave the restaurant, and run for it…he, hopefully, won't catch up with me because he's drunk…_

_Time to pull up an act. _She stood up so suddenly Shinta nearly spilled his glass. 'I can't believe you just said that!!' she snapped. 'How dare you?'

Shinta stared at her, his mouth hanging slightly open. All around them, people had abandoned their meals and started watching them. 'Kaoru, what…?' he said.

Kaoru was feeling really pleased with herself; she was always such a good actress. 'You jerk!' she exploded. 'I can't believe I ever fell for you! I'm leaving now and I don't want to see you anywhere near me…ever! You understand?'

'What the hell are you talking about, Kaoru?' Shinta said, blinking in surprise.

'Good bye!' she snapped.

She pushed her chair away and hurried away from the table towards the door. She pushed it open and stepped outside…and then, she ran.

She couldn't believe she had actually done it. She had escaped Shinta! He was probably still sitting there at the table, drunk and confused. She was free! She could now hurry out to the main road and catch a cab and go to the nearest police station…there she could get help. She struggled to run in her high-heels, but it was too difficult. She bent down to take them off.

'Kaoru! Come back here!'

It was Shinta. He, obviously, wasn't as drunk and confused as Kaoru hoped he would. He was running straight towards her. Heart thudding loudly in her chest, Kaoru picked up the skirts of her dress and ran as fast as her heels would allow. But she wasn't fast enough. She could hear Shinta behind her, and he was gaining quickly on her…

'No! Leave me alone!!' she screamed, her fists pounding his chest. 'Leave me alone, you bastard!! Let go of me!'

Shinta was effortlessly holding Kaoru in his arms, despite her struggles and punches and kicks. He glared at her. 'I should've known,' he hissed. 'I should've known that you were just acting all the time in the restaurant…but I had thought that you were going to sit back and have fun while you were there.'

'Fun? With you? Ha! You wish!' she snapped, trying to break free. 'I was plotting my exit the whole time! Now, let go of me!!'

'For that, Kaoru, you need to be taught a lesson,' he whispered.

He pulled his gun out of the inner pocket of his coat in one swift movement, and Kaoru, thinking he was going to shoot her, gasped. Shinta pulled the trigger.

'NO!!' she screamed.

Kaoru watched in horror as the man, who had been passing by them, collapsed to the ground after receiving Shinta's bullet right in the forehead. Her struggles ceased for a moment, since her brain was too numb to carry out any instructions. 'You bastard…why the hell did you do that?' she screamed, tearing at him with her fingers. 'Why did you kill him?'

'STOP IT!!' Shinta exploded, grabbing her by the shoulders. Kaoru froze. His voice dropped to a low whisper. 'I warned you, Kaoru, I warned you about what would happen if you gave me a hard time, but you couldn't listen, could you?'

'That man did nothing to you,' she said hoarsely.

'No, but you did,' he replied. 'You've only got yourself to blame for his death, Kaoru, it's your fault he died.'

Kaoru stared at him. Much as she hated to admit it, Shinta was right. It _was _her fault; he had told her that no one will get hurt if she remained silent and obedient, and she didn't. Tears stung her eyes but she fought them back.

'Oi! Korewa ittai dou yu koto da?'

They both spun around. The waiter who had attended to them at the restaurant was standing right there, staring at them. 'Chikusho,' Shinta hissed. 'He must've followed me because I didn't pay the bill…and because he heard the gunshot, naturally.'

He raised his gun to shoot the man, but Kaoru grabbed his arm. 'No!' she cried. 'You can't kill him!'

'Kaoru! He saw us!' he said, exasperated. He shook her off and turned to aim again, but others were coming out of the restaurant. 'Oh, hell.'

'Aitsura tsukamae! Ano hito wo koroshitano mitayo!'the waiter shouted.

'We must run now, Kaoru,' Shinta murmured. He grabbed her arm and hurried her forward. 'Come on!'

'No! I won't!' she snapped.

'Come on!!' he said angrily, and dragged her along with him. But she was slowing him down. 'What's wrong with you?'

'I can't run!' she snapped, bending down to her feet. 'I'm wearing heels!'

Shinta looked around and saw that their pursuers were gaining on them. He really didn't have time for this. He leaned forward, and scooped Kaoru up between his arms. He held her small body tightly against his chest…and ran.

Kaoru, too shocked at first, didn't do anything. She just sat there, held in Shinta's arms, held so tightly against his chest she could actually feel his heart beating furiously alongside her skin. Then she glared at him. 'Put me down!' she shouted.

'Kaoru, shut up!' he snapped. 'I'm saving us right here and I don't need to hear anything from you!!'

'You're saving yourself, not both of us!' she snapped.

'Kaoru, I can put you down right now and kill all those people instead of running away from them, how would you like that?' he said quietly, all the while running. 'I'm doing this for _you_, so you'd better be grateful and shut up.'

Kaoru fell silent. Now, more than ever, she was sure that Shinta actually liked her…that he had feelings for her. And it felt really weird. What felt weirder is that she actually was feeling something for him. No; it wasn't love or any form of admiration…it was more like sympathy. Shinta needed someone to love him, and he wasn't finding that someone anywhere. And that was why he was being so nice to her…he wanted her to love him. But she didn't. She couldn't.

She sighed and leaned against him. She looked up at his face, and saw the look of utmost resolution and determination on his face; it seemed to be taking him a lot of energy not to kill all those people behind them…and he was doing it for her.

As she rested her head against his chest, she felt something against her skin. Something in his coat. Something which felt like a key. The apartment's key. She wanted to reach in there and take it, but knew that Shinta would notice once they got to the apartment…could she take it when they got to the apartment, while Shinta slept?

The voices of the angry crowd which was following them were becoming lower and lower. Even with her in his arms, Shinta had managed to outrun them.

'We're safe now, I think,' he told her.

He put her down to her feet, and they walked the rest of the way to the apartment. They didn't say anything to each other all the way home. It was only until they stepped inside the apartment and Shinta had closed the door behind them that she unleashed all the anger she had kept bottled inside of her.

'You killed an innocent man...you killed him when he had done nothing to you!' she screamed.

'Oh, for God's sake, Kaoru! That's an old topic! I thought it was over now! You screamed, I screamed, we got chased by people, and now it's over,' he said, sounding weary. 'So, will you please let it go?'

'No!! I won't let it go!!' she snapped. She stepped up close to him and jabbed a finger in his chest. 'You think people's lives aren't important! You think that you can just go about killing whoever you want, whenever you want! But you're wrong! You can't do that!! People's lives are priceless! You can't kill a person and expect that it won't be a big deal because a new life is going to be born and he'll be replaced or reincarnated...or something like that!'

Shinta scowled at her. 'Listen, you! I didn't ask for a lecture, alright?' he snapped. 'So get off my back!'

'You bastard! Don't you have any feelings?' she cried. 'I hate you!!'

'Yeah?' he shot back, his eyes wild. 'Well, I hate you, too!!'

There was a brief moment when neither of them said anything, but then Shinta grabbed Kaoru's face and started kissing her fiercely. Kaoru didn't fight him, in fact, she found herself kissing him back. She let her hands slither up to the back of his head and she pressed his face more tightly against hers until there was no room to breath. Shinta let go of her face and let his hands travel behind her back. His hands found the zipper of her dress, and as he started to unzip it, he guided Kaoru back to his room, all the while still kissing her.

He threw her against the bed, and there was a brief moment when they both looked uncertainly at each other. Shinta could read the definite fear in Kaoru's eyes but he didn't care. Kaoru belonged to him tonight. Him alone. These were his only thoughts before he fell on top of her on the bed.

-

**Japense Words and their translations:**

**Sake: **Of course you know what this means; it's Japanese rice wine.

**Nisei: **One born in America of immigrant Japanese parents.

**Chikusho: **Damn it!

**Koi: **A large and colorful fish.

**Chinkon: **Ceremony.

**Shiranai: **"I don't know." – No, seriously, it means I don't know.

**Hidoi-na: **Too bad.

**Iie: **No.

**Wakaru: **I understand.

**Arigatou-gozaimasu: **Thank you (polite).

**Baka: **Stupid, or idiot (easiest word there is!).

**Baka ka: **Stupid Asshole (poor Sano!)

**Nigiri: **Bite-size block of rice with a topping of fish, tofu, prawns, scallops etc.

**Teriyaki: **Grilled cuts of pork, chicken or fish glazed with Sweet Soya sauce.

**Mizore Soba:** Noodles cooked al dente, grated spices, and crushed tofu.

**Bento: **a box divided into compartments offering diners a range of dishes, usually some sushi, a rice or noodle dish, some _yakitori _(marinated chicken pieces on skewers)and salad.

**Oi! Korewa ittai dou yu koto da: **Hey! What the hell is going on here?

**Aitsura tsukamae! Ano hito wo koroshitano mitayo: **Get them! I saw them kill that man!!

**-**

**A/N: (drum roll) Well, that was an unexpected ending to the chapter, ne? You do know the saying, "Opposites attract", right? Well, Shinta and Kaoru are opposites, and I thought it would make a nice twist if they...y'know...did it. But of course, you won't expect me to write details. I never do that. Well, anyway, I'm waiting for your opinions, alright? **

**Sayounara!! (Sorry, Japanese speech got to me).**

_**-ZEN.**_


	20. Faking it

**A/N: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.**

**Hi! I'm back! Thanks for the reviews; I did have you shocked at the end of the last chapter, didn't I? But, this is the point of the story which is going to make things much more interesting, you'll see. Anyway, I'll shut up now and let you get on with the story, okie? Enjoy!**

**CHAPTER 20: Faking It**

Kaoru lay in the bed, the bed sheets wrapped tightly around her figure. Her heart was thudding painfully against her chest, and cold sweat had broken all over her body. She glanced around to her side and saw Shinta, fast asleep. She quickly switched her eyes back to the ceiling and clutched the sheets tightly with her hands. She felt tears well in her eyes as the memory of what she had done drifted into her mind.

She had gone and had sex with a murderer...and what was more terrifying, is that she had loved every single moment of it. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she had to choke back a bitter cry of agony and shame. How could she have done this? But then she remembered the way Shinta had touched her, the way he had kissed her...it made her want to do it all over again. She almost wanted to kill herself for having such thoughts. At that moment, Shinta draped an arm around her and pulled her closer towards him, and she felt herself shuddering at his touch.

Kaoru wanted to scream at him to leave her alone, but she just couldn't. Instead, she waited until she made sure that he was fast asleep again before quietly slipping away from him. Sheets still wrapped tightly around her like a flowing white gown, she bent down and collected her clothes from the ground, and with a last glance at Shinta, she hurried out of the room. She rushed to her room, and quickly started getting herself dressed.

She glanced at her self in the mirror and saw that she was looking terrible; her hair was messed up, and her mouth was pink and raw from all the kissing, and she had black streaks across her face from where the mascara mixed with her tears, and there, right beneath her eye, was an ugly blue bruise where Shinta, in the spur of the moment, had...

She felt herself drifting into another fantasy before quickly shaking the thoughts out of her head. She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, and saw that it was three in the morning. She bit down on her lip. What should she do? Should she make a run for it?

She stood up and headed to her bedroom's door. She opened it just a crack and peered outside. Shinta was no where to be seen; she assumed he was probably still sleeping in his room, unaware that she had left his side. Kaoru took a deep breath and stepped out of the room. She tiptoed past the living room and to Shinta's bedroom; she still had to get the key from his coat. She peered through the door and found that he was still sleeping on the bed. She stood for a moment watching him. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep, with his crimson hair spilled all over the pillow and his eyes closed...and for a moment, she was actually considering returning to his side and never leaving it again.

She hated herself for having such thoughts.

She stepped into the room, trying to be as quiet as possible. She glanced around the room for his coat; the black coat he was wearing when they went out. She spotted it; lying on the ground right where she had slipped it off of him. She took in a deep breath, and darted forward. She reached inside the coat, and felt around for the key, all the while with her eyes fixed on Shinta. She found the key, and she pulled it out, fighting the urge to shout triumphantly. Her hand also fell on another object; Shinta's gun.

Heart thudding loudly in her chest, she took the gun as well, and backed away towards the door, watching Shinta the whole time. For a moment, she actually considered aiming the gun at him and shooting him. She even held the gun out. She placed her finger on the trigger. She tried to pull, but her hand shook terribly; why couldn't she kill him? She wanted to kill him…or did she? Did she really want to kill him? Did she have the courage to kill him? Just seeing him sleeping like that strongly reminded her of Kenshin…he looked so peaceful, the same way Kenshin had always looked.

_Do it! Do it! You've always hated him; why don't you kill him? C'mon, do it! Kill him!_, her rational mind screamed.

Kaoru tried to pull the trigger again, but she wasn't able to, and she hated herself for that. She put down the gun and hurried out of the room and to the front door. She fumbled with the key and inserted it into the lock. She quickly unlocked the door, and pulled it open. She stepped outside, but then she got an idea and hurried back inside to the bathroom. She turned in the water in the shower and closed the door. If that couldn't buy her time, then she didn't know what would. She hurried back to the front door.

She was finally free!

-

Shinta's eyes flew open and he sat up in his bed.

He instantly knew something was wrong once he realized that Kaoru wasn't lying next to him on the bed. He quickly scrambled off the bed and picked up the pair of boxers which was lying on the ground and quickly pulled them on. He left his room and came upon the rest of the apartment. He strained his ears for a moment and heard the sound of the gushing water in the bathroom. Smiling to himself, he headed for the bathroom and drummed his knuckles against the door.

'Kaoru, babe, I'm coming in,' he told her.

He didn't think he could ever get enough of Kaoru after those few hours they've spent together. Shinta had raped girls before for his own pleasure, but to have a beautiful, fierce woman come onto him willingly...he was just estatic. He turned the knob, visions of Kaoru in a foamy bathtub drifting into his mind, and walked inside. He froze dead in his tracks when he saw that the tub was empty, and that's when he knew there was something seriously wrong.

'Kaoru!' he called into the house.

He tore the apartment apart for her, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. Jaw clenched, he hurried back to his room. He grabbed for his coat and searched through his pockets. His gun was missing…and so was his key. Realization dawned on him, and he felt his blood boiling within him.

Kaoru had managed to escape.

Shinta tossed his coat to the ground and hurried to the front door. He tried the knob and found that it was locked.

_Kaoru really knows how to test my patience…and it's starting to run low…_

-

Kaoru ran.

She just continued to run away…away from Shinta, away from that bloody bastard. She had no money, and so she couldn't order a cab. She cursed herself mentally for not bothering to check into Shinta's pockets for money. Since their apartment was in the area which contained the restaurant they had both gone too, Kaoru found herself passing it. The place was crowded. Ambulances, police cars, people…they were swarming the place.

Should she stop and ask for help? But what if somebody recognized her to be the woman who was in the company of the murderer? What would happen to her then? Would they help her? Would they even bother to listen to what she had to say?

Kaoru felt a stab of guilt. This had been her fault. If she hadn't tried to escape, this man wouldn't have died. She shuddered to think about what Shinta might do when he wakes up and finds that she had disappeared. She ran past the crime scene. She ran into a really empty and dark alley. The apartment building where they lived wasn't located in the loudest and busiest area of Tokyo; she guessed Shinta had done it on purpose to keep her away from the rest of the world.

Feeling disgruntled, she continued to run. She was completely aware that she new nothing about Tokyo and its people, that she didn't know enough Japanese vocabulary to fill one small piece of paper, and that slightly unnerved her. Supposing she did find some help, how was she going to tell the people who were going to help her about what they're supposed to help her against? Lost in thoughts, she didn't notice the man who was coming round the corner until she had collided with him. She stumbled back, but he wrapped his arms around her to prevent her from falling.

'Oh, I'm sorry…I…um…' she murmured, and looked up at his face. Her eyes widened. 'NO! Let go of me, you bastard! Let go of me!!'

-

Shinta was doing his best to control the anger which was building inside him. Once again, Kaoru had defied him…but this time, unlike the other times; he felt that she had betrayed him. She had gone and run out on him after they've gone and shared the night together.

_'I love you, Shinta,' _she had told him. Shinta knew now that he had been really stupid to believe that bullshit.

He had been so hasty to leave; he had forgotten to place his wig. But who cares? As long as he didn't have his fake scar on, which, alternatively, was resting in his pocket, there was no way anybody would accuse him of anything…and besides, it was too dark and too empty for any one to come and take a glimpse at him. He had to find Kaoru before she could contact any of her friends. And he had to do it fast. If Kaoru happened to have contacted anyone, things would definitely be taking a nasty turn from here.

'Oi, Kenshin! Is that you?'

Shinta stopped dead in his tracks. He slowly looked around, and a man heading right at him, and not any man, it was Sanosuke Sagara…and he had called him Kenshin. Almost automatically, Shinta reached into his pocket and pasted the scar right onto his cheek. He turned around and waited till Sagara got to him. The guy thought he was Kenshin, so he was going to act up to his brother's role. This also meant that Kenshin was here…how, just how did Kenshin find out his location, he didn't know. And how did Kenshin get Sagara to trust him and work with him? And what the hell was he doing in this particular area, he also didn't know.

'Yes, Sano, what is it?' he asked.

'Did you find anything yet?' Sano asked him, sounding hopeful. 'I've been searching the area and I can't seem to find anything.'

'No, I'm afraid I hadn't found anything yet,' Shinta answered; of course, he knew that it was him and Kaoru Sano was talking about.

'Drats! I was hoping we'd be able to locate Himura now that we know he killed the guy back there!' he mumbled.

Shinta didn't say anything. So that was how they managed to locate him? By that little murder? Shinta cursed himself mentally for killing that guy. When he came to Japan, he was hoping that he wouldn't have to draw attention to his presence, but, obviously, he had failed.

'Do you suppose the others found anything?' Sano asked suddenly.

_Others? There were others?_ 'I don't know, Sano,' he replied. 'I didn't run into anybody yet…why don't you call them up? Maybe they did find something.'

'Yeah, you're right,' he murmured, and took out his cell phone. He dialed a number and waited. 'Hajime? You and Yukishiro found anything yet?

Shinta froze. _Yukishiro was here too? Tomoe's kid brother? He was here as well? _There was no way Yukishiro would ever trust Kenshin unless his sweet brother told him and the others everything about him. He gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists.

'No, I didn't find anything either,' Sano mumbled. 'What about Misao and Shinomori? Nothing, as well?' Sano sighed after a moment and ended the phone call. 'Nothing, we still haven't located Kaoru or Himura,' he said, sounding disgruntled.

_Good._ 'Alright, let's split up again, we'll cover more ground this way,' Shinta told him, and Sano nodded. 'I'll call you if I find anything.'

Shinta turned around and hurried away from Sano. If he was lucky, he would find Kaoru before them, and then he'd go into hiding. And if he was _really _lucky, he'd find Kenshin on his way too.

_Kenshin has got a lot of explaining to do…_

_-_

Kenshin felt extremely alarmed.

Upon information of a murder around this area of Tokyo, provided by Katsuhiro, they had all set out to investigate and hopefully, link the murder to Kaoru and Shinta. After doing some questioning, they confirmed the killer to be Shinta, and had set about trying to find him…and thereby find Kaoru.

And when Kaoru, herself, stumbled into his arms, he felt a wave of immense relief, only to be replaced by extreme alarm when she started screaming and pounding at his chest.

'Let go of me!' she shrieked, beating furiously against his chest with her fists. 'I don't know how you find me but I want you to let go of me right now! I'm not going back with you, you hear me? Now, let go!!'

'Kaoru, please, calm down,' he pleaded.

'Calm down?' she repeated. '_Calm down? _Oh, I'll calm down, alright, and that's when you let me go!'

Kaoru brought up her knee and hit him directly in the groin…hard. Kenshin released her at once, moaning in pain. Kaoru took her chance and broke free, running away from him. Kenshin collapsed to the ground, groaning, and she stopped and watched him with disgust.

Kenshin looked weakly at her. 'Kaoru, it's me, don't you recognize me?' he said from his position on the ground.

But Kaoru had already taken out her gun. 'Oh, I recognize you alright,' she hissed. 'I recognize you as the person I should've killed when I first had the opportunity.'

'Kaoru! No! It's me…Kenshin!' he told her, struggling to get up to his feet; that hit Kaoru gave him was _real _hard.

Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him. 'Kenshin? _You're_ Kenshin?' she sneered. 'I'm sorry, but couldn't you have come up with a more believable lie? Kenshin, as I may remind you, is still in the States…so you can't possibly be Kenshin…you're just hoping I'd believe you so you could take me back to the apartment without any sort of struggle.'

'No, Kaoru, I swear, it's really me,' he assured her. 'We found your location and came after you…I'm not Shinta, Kaoru, I'm Kenshin. And whatever happened to you? You look a terrible mess!'

Although Kaoru wanted to believe it was true, but she knew it wasn't. She had to marvel at the effort Shinta was taking in pretending to be his brother; his tone was soft, and his eyes were peaceful, and he even had his scar back on. But yet, he was wearing the same outfit; his black coat and his black pants.

'Words of advice, Shinta, next time you try to trick me, make sure you at least change your clothes,' she told him. She smirked. 'So, tell me, how does it feel to be on the losing side for a change, huh?'

'Kaoru, listen to me, you're making a big mistake,' Kenshin said in a firm tone. 'If you'll just let me call Sano for you, and he'll tell you that…'

Kaoru's eyes widened as he reached inside his pocket. _He had another gun? _'Keep your hands out where I can see them!' she snapped, her gun still aimed at him. 'Don't think you're going to fool me! I'm sick of all your tricks and games!'

Kenshin looked confused. 'I just want to get my pho…' he started.

'Just keep your hands out!!' she snapped.

Kenshin obliged. He held his hands out where she could see them. Kaoru stood over him, gun held tightly in her hands. Should she do it? Should she kill him now and get over with it? Knowing that all her troubles would end the moment she shot Shinta dead didn't seem to make her move her finger in an attempt to pull the trigger, but why? Why wasn't she able to pull the trigger and kill him?

'Kaoru…' Kenshin said softly.

Kaoru just glared at him. She hated him...and yet, at the same time, she felt herself attracted to him. She absolutely hated him for what he was doing to her. All the misery he was putting her through, and her inability to shoot him because…why was she unable to shoot him? He was a criminal; after all, she had been trained to shoot criminals. So what was so special about this criminal? She couldn't possible love him, could she? She vaguely remembered telling him that when they were together, but she really didn't mean it...did she?

'Kaoru!'

Kaoru was taken by surprise; who, in Japan, knew her other than Shinta? She chanced a look around, and gasped. Standing a few feet away from her, was…Kenshin? Or was that Shinta? She cast a sharp look around at the Himura she had been aiming at, and then back at the Himura who had just appeared. She felt like she was having a double-vision. _Why the hell did they have to dress alike?_

'Kaoru, get away from him,' the second Himura told her. 'That's Shinta, Kaoru, he's just trying to trick you…I'm just glad I found you before he could do anything to hurt you.'

'What? No! Kaoru, don't listen to him!' the first Himura said sharply. 'I'm Kenshin, and he's Shinta…don't you see?'

'No, Kaoru, I assure you I'm Kenshin, don't fall for any more of his tricks,' the second Himura said, warningly. 'He just wants to hurt you.'

'He's just saying that to fool you, Kaoru, I advise you not to listen to him,' the first Himura said. 'He just wants to grab you and take you away with him.'

Kaoru backed away from both of them. She really didn't know what to think. If they had been wearing different clothes; she would've easily differentiated between them, but they both had on the exact same thing! And they both sounded like Kenshin!!

'Oh, hell,' she muttered.

-

**A/N: Time for a quick decision!! Ah, anyway, how did this chappie grab you? I'm sorry it was a bit too short, and maybe even bad (I didn't think I did such a good job in this one) but I'm just building up for my next chappie, which, I'm afraid to tell you, is going to be my last chappie!!! Of course, there's going to be an epilogue after that, but it's still the official last chapter…so review, and wait for the next installment!! (Just bear with me, okay?)**

_**- **S. N. B. _


	21. Choices

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…and it just hurts to say it!**

**Hi! I'm back! Thanks for the reviews! (Bows deeply to the nice reviewers). And now, I'm gonna stop talking because I know no one will be reading this note since they'll be wanting to know who Kaoru picks. Regardless, enjoy!**

**Chapter 21: Choices**

Kaoru stood between the Himura twins, feeling utterly confused. So she finds out that Kenshin really was here in Japan, but yet, the idea doesn't give her much comfort, because she knows she has to choose between them…and if she chose the wrong guy, goodness knows they'll be doomed.

'Kaoru, look at me, I'm Kenshin,' the second Himura told her. 'Don't make the mistake of choosing _him_.'

'Shut up, you jerk! All your life you've been living under my name, and you've resented it,' the other one hissed. 'And now you actually want to be the owner of the name?'

'Your name? Excuse me, but I strongly believe it was my name the last time I checked,' the second Himura shot back.

The first Himura looked at her. 'C'mon, Kaoru, you don't believe him, do you?' he said. 'You know I'm Kenshin, right?'

'No, I don't, now shut up, both of you!' she cried, feeling extremely frustrated and agitated. They both fell silent. Kaoru looked intently from one to the other. They both looked extremely identical; how was she going to tell them apart? Even the realization of the fact that she was, hopefully, the only one holding a gun between them didn't make the situation any better. What should she do?

Suddenly, she remembered something. It hadn't seemed so important back then; in fact, she had only asked Kenshin the question then to avoid an awkward moment, but now…it seemed to be the solution to her problem.

_'My scar is real, Shinta's is fake'_

One of them had a fake scar…

_'Shinta doesn't have a scar…he has one plastered on his cheek, it's not real'_

Kaoru suddenly felt like such an idiot. What was the matter with her? She had been living around Shinta for two days now, and he was always scar-less, why didn't she remember that earlier? One of the Himuras didn't have a scar. She only had to walk up to each one and touch his scar. Even though it sounded easy, Kaoru knew it wasn't. Of course, both the twins would agree to her examining their scars…but, what if she examined Shinta first? She'd, of course, find that his scar was fake, but would she be quick enough to escape him before he grabs her?

She gritted her teeth. This was the only thing left for her to do; she had no other way to tell the twins apart. She had to do it. 'I want you two to stand next to each other,' she instructed them. They both opened their mouths to speak. 'Just do as I say! No arguments and no questions!'

She could feel the tension and the hatred hover in the air between the two brothers as they both approached each other. If it were possible, Kaoru thought they'd be shooting daggers at each other wit their eyes.

'Not too close…' she said quietly.

They both stood before her, with a distance of nearly four feet between each other. From a different person's point of view, it would look like Kaoru was examining them both for some kind of competition…like the best breed, or best hair or something…but this was really no joking matter.

Kaoru approached them slowly, gun still raised before her. 'If any one of you makes a move, I'm gonna shoot him instantly, understand?' she said sharply.

They both nodded simultaneously. Kaoru felt herself shaking literally, and the gun she was holding shook in her hand as well. She was feeling really nervous about this…one wrong move, and…God knows what would happen to her. She had to be extremely careful.

Fingers quivering, she raised her hand to touch the scar of the first Himura. She touched it, and drew in a sharp breath. It was him; this was Kenshin. She could feel the scar, and it was real. It was just the same as the time where she touched it in the park. She tried to scrap it away with her nails, but it was unmovable. This was the _real _Kenshin. Kaoru smiled at him, hand still on his scar, and he smiled back. Shinta's eyes widened; Kaoru had found out who the real Kenshin is. That was bad.

'No!' he cried.

Kaoru was too caught up in the moment, she momentarily forgot about Shinta, and was a bit too late to react when Shinta attacked. His hands shot outwards to grab her. He was fast; she knew she couldn't raise her gun in time…that is, if she still had the gun.

She felt the gun being slipped out of her hands, and a shadow fell before her. For the first moment, her impression was of Shinta, somehow, taking the gun from her and was now going to shoot her dead. But she couldn't have been more wrong.

-

'You won't touch her while I'm around, Shinta,' Kenshin hissed. He had gone and stood between Kaoru and his brother, and was now holding Shinta at gunpoint. 'Just dare and make one move, and you won't like what'll happen to you.'

Shinta smirked. He appeared quite calm, as if having the nuzzle of a gun pressed to his forehead was the simplest thing in the world. 'So, you're finally standing up to me, huh, Ken?' he said.

'I'm just doing what I should've done ages ago,' Kenshin snapped.

'What are you going to do now, Ken?' Shinta asked softly. 'Are you going to kill me? Your own _brother_?'

'Some brother you are, you bastard!' Kaoru spat at him, glaring at him over Kenshin's shoulder. 'Kenshin shouldn't even admit to you being his brother! If I had a brother like you, I'd kill him right on the spot!'

'Tsk, tsk…manners, Kaoru, I keep telling you to mind your manners,' he said, smiling unpleasantly.

'How dare you lecture me…?' Kaoru started, but Kenshin raised a hand to silence her.

'It's okay, Kaoru, I'll deal with him,' he said softly, without looking at her. 'You don't have to worry about it.'

'You'll deal with me _how_ exactly, Ken?' Shinta asked, still smirking. 'You've failed to deal with me ever since we were kids.'

Kenshin's grip around the gun tightened and he glared at his brother. He really didn't know what to do; should he kill his brother or not? Should he let him get away with it? Heck, no! Of course he couldn't let him get away with it! So what should he do? He couldn't kill him; Shinta once saved his life, and it would be really ungrateful to go and kill him now. And after all, Shinta was right; he was still his brother.

'Tic toc, c'mon, Kenny, I'm waiting,' he said, faking a yawn. He was boiling on the inside. It all came down to this; Kaoru still chose Kenshin over him, after all what he'd done to try and win her love, she still loved Kenshin. He was sick of this, and wanted the whole thing to end. Maybe it wasn't going to end in a way that he liked, but it was still going to end…and then he wouldn't have to feel hurt about Kaoru ditching him. 'I don't have all day, y'know.'

'Shut up! Just shut up, alright?' Kenshin exploded. 'Can't you be serious once in your life? We're facing a stern situation here, so why don't you try and co-operate?'

'What do you mean, _co-operate_?' Shinta said angrily. 'Do you want me to stand still while you blast my head off or call the cops? Because I really don't think you are allowed to _co-operate_ in such situations! Come on, Ken! Kill me and let's get this over with! Kill me!'

Kenshin placed his finger on the trigger, and he swallowed. Kaoru, who was standing behind him, felt how tense he was. She placed a hand on his shoulder. 'It's gonna be okay, Kenshin, you can do it,' she said softly.

'Kenshin! What are you doing? Kill him!'

Kaoru looked past Shinta, and saw Sano and Enishi standing together, staring at them with the look of utmost astonishment on their faces.

'Sano!' she cried happily.

-

Shinta seized this moment of distraction and tried to slip out of Kenshin's aim. Kenshin, cursing under his breath for allowing himself to be distracted, fired at Shinta as he ran, but missed.

But Shinta felt himself trapped. Enishi and Sano were blocking one end of the alley, and Kaoru and Kenshin were down at the other. He couldn't run in Kenshin's direction; his brother had a gun, and he, in his hurry to find Kaoru, had forgotten to get a gun. Should he make and attempt to slip between Sano and Enishi? Would he be fast enough to slip between them?

He didn't get the chance to test out his plan, as one of Kenshin's bullets finally found their target. Shinta grimaced as the speeding bullet sank into his leg, and stumbled down to the rough ground.

He hit the ground with a dull thud. He lay still for a moment, and then he banged on the ground with his fist. He felt the blood leaking out of the wound. 'Damn it!' he snapped. 'I hate getting shot!'

He had only said that to cover the feelings which were whirling inside him. He felt ashamed, betrayed…and distressed. Ashamed at himself; he, the legendary Battousai, now lying weak and helpless on the ground. Betrayed by his brother; who apparently cared nothing for him now and was glad to sell him away. Distressed and sad at his fate; not only he had lost Kaoru, but now he was going to die in front of her too…and she was going to be happy to see him die. And to think that all this mess he'd gotten himself into was her fault. If he hadn't cared for her and brought her here, he wouldn't have had to be in this situation right now. That's why he had tried not to ever fall in love; love made him weak. But he just couldn't help it with Kaoru.

He felt two pairs of hands, each gripping one of his arms, hoist him up to his feet. He took a quick glanced at the owners of the hands; Enishi and Sano. He couldn't tell which face showed more hatred. These were the most dangerous types of people, he admitted it himself. The people who went after revenge were really dangerous, and he could understand that those two didn't want anything other than to rip him limb from limb. He had killed Sano's guardian and shot his girl, and had killed Tomoe, Enishi's sister.

'Do it now, Kenshin,' Sano said hoarsely. 'Kill him now.'

Shinta looked slowly up at his brother. Kenshin's expression was unreadable, and his violet eyes were shadowed by his bangs of crimson hair, so he couldn't see what he was thinking. Kaoru stood be his side, holding his hand, and whispering into his ear. And that made his insides squirm.

'Himura, he killed your wife…my sister,' Enishi rasped, gripping Shinta's arm so tightly it was becoming numb. 'I don't think you should ponder over whether to kill him or not. It should be done without any hesitation. Kill him. Do it…do it for Tomoe.'

Kenshin looked up at his brother with an expression of pure hatred. He held out his gun. Shinta gritted his teeth. This was it; he was going to die now. There was no changing that fact. He waited for the shot to come, but it didn't. Kenshin just continued to aim the gun at him. Shinta looked questioningly at his brother.

'C'mon, Kenshin! Shoot him, for God's sake!' Sano bellowed, looking positively beside himself with anger. 'What are you waiting for? Kill him now!'

And then, to his immense surprise, Kenshin dropped the gun to the ground. 'No,' he said quietly.

_No? _Shinta stared at his brother; Kenshin was refusing to kill him?

'Just what the hell are you doing, Himura?' Enishi said angrily. 'Pick up your damn gun and shoot him!'

'No,' Kenshin repeated.

'Ken…' Shinta croaked in disbelief.

'Shut up,' Kenshin snapped at him. He took in a deep breath. 'I've saved your life just now; do you know what that means? I'm no longer in your debt, Shinta; you've saved my life, and I saved yours…we're equal now.'

Shinta didn't say anything, and Kaoru touched Kenshin's shoulder. He looked around at her, and saw that she was watching him anxiously. 'Kenshin, are you sure? Are you absolutely sure you don't want to kill him?' she whispered. 'You're going to let him get away with everything he did?'

'Yes, Kaoru, I'm…' Kenshin started.

'I don't give a damn about your ethics, Kenshin!' Sano interrupted him. 'If you're not going to kill him then I will!'

Shinta felt the cool metal of the nuzzle of Sano's gun being pressed against his temple. _I could break free! Why am I letting them treat me like this? _

_Because you can't run away or do anything; you're shot, _his rationale mind intercepted.

_Damn…_

'Sano, Enishi…I understand what you two must be going through, but think about it,' Kenshin said quietly. 'If you kill him down, he'll just have a clean and simple death, he won't suffer the way you've suffered, he won't have to endure any of the pain and grief you went through…you'll be helping him, not punishing him.'

Sano's brow furrowed, and Enishi looked like he was thinking things over in his mind. After a moment, Sano lowered his gun and Enishi pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. He punched in a number. 'Hello, I'm calling to tell you that we've caught Battousai, the man slayer,' he said, quite expressionlessly. 'No, I'm not joking, he's right here by my side…come and see for yourself.'

_It was all over…_

Shinta looked up and saw Kaoru hugging Kenshin, and felt his insides boil with anger. After all what had happened between them, she goes and treats him like dirt? He had half a mind to go and tell Kenshin that he had gone and screwed his girlfriend, but he knew that his brother probably won't believe him. Besides, wouldn't it sound like he was saying that out of spite? No, Shinta wouldn't sink to that level.

_Then again, maybe it's not over…_

-

Kenshin watched silently as the police car bearing his brother drove away, followed by three other police cars. When the officers had first approached, they had made a move to grab him instead of Shinta. But then, they spotted Shinta and stood staring in confusion at the two before grabbing Shinta. Of course, it took them a while to actually believe that Battousai was two people; one under the name of Kenshin, and the other under the name of Shinta, and that Shinta was the bad guy. They still wanted him to come to the station to testify. Sano and Enishi offered to go instead, and when they started to protest, Sano held up his FBI ID; just like Misao said; it did come in handy. So, Sano and Enishi left, and Kenshin and Kaoru were left behind. Kenshin was grateful he didn't have to go; he wanted his peace and quiet for the moment.

He sighed and turned around to look at Kaoru, who was standing silently beside him. 'Hey,' he said softly. 'Are you okay?'

Kaoru smiled at him. 'Yes, I'm fine,' she assured him. 'Are _you _okay?'

He nodded. 'Listen, Kaoru, I'm really sorry…' he started.

'Don't,' she interrupted him.

He ignored her. '…you went through a lot because of me,' he continued. 'I just can't bear to think of what would've happened if…'

'Kenshin, it's okay, please, you can stop,' she told him. 'Don't apologize, okay? I'm not worth it.'

'No, Kaoru, don't be stupid. I have to say this, alright?' Kenshin insisted. He grabbed both her shoulders and turned her around so she'd face him. 'You could've died; Shinta could've killed you, just like he killed Tomoe…I don't know if you know her, she was…'

'No, I know her,' Kaoru said. 'Enishi told me about her…she's your wife, right?'

Kenshin nodded. 'Point is; I wasn't careful, I went and repeated my same old mistake,' he went on. 'I shouldn't have dragged you into this, but I did. I wanted someone I could talk to…I was really selfish, and my selfishness nearly killed you.'

'Kenshin, you weren't selfish, everyone needs a friend,' Kaoru soothed him. She faltered for a bit, but then she managed a smile at him. 'I don't blame you for anything, none of this was your fault…and I really don't have any regrets for meeting you.'

'Kaoru…' he whispered.

Kaoru held a finger to his lips. 'Shhh…' she said. 'It's okay; it's over now, stop thinking about it…we're all fine, aren't we?'

'Yes, but…' he started to protest.

'It's okay, honest,' Kaoru interrupted him. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. 'It's okay.'

-

'So, that's it? Case closed?'

Kaoru leaned back against Kenshin's chest, and sighed heavily. 'I sure hope it is, Misao,' she said wearily.

Misao pouted, and smacked her fist against the open palm of her other hand. 'Damn! I missed all the action!' she mumbled, and Kaoru laughed. Misao grinned happily. 'Still, I'm glad it's all over now!'

'Yeah,' Kaoru murmured. 'Me too.'

She wanted to think that all this was over, but her mind kept drifting back to Shinta's room, and the moments they had shared together...and that's when the guilt started to consume her again. Just looking at Kenshin pained her now; she couldn't even kiss him without being weighed down by her guilt. And the worst part was that she couldn't tell him; she knew that if she told him, Kenshin would definitely hate her. And no matter how much she longed for Shinta, she just couldn't stand Kenshin hating her. In fact, she had secretly wished that Kenshin would shoot his brother so that she could feel that all this was really over. She was also glad that Shinta hadn't mentioned anything about what had happened between them.

'So, what happens now?' Saitoh asked quietly. 'Where does Himura go?'

'You mean Battousai, Saitou,' Kaoru corrected him, smiling. 'And he's gonna be taken to a high security prison and placed in a high security vault.'

When the other members of the Save-Kaoru-and-Catch-Battousai team, at least, that's what she called it, caught up with them, Shinta had already been driven away in a police car, heavily cuffed and restrained. It was an awkward moment, Kaoru didn't know whether she could trust Misao and Aoshi, and when it came to Saitou, he just gave her a brief hug, murmured about how glad she was okay, and continued to cast furtive glances at her and Kenshin for the rest of the time, and even now when they were grouped around comfortably in the apartment Katsu had rented for them, he continued to watch them.

Enishi and Aoshi were sitting quietly in a corner, but they were listening to every word being said. They hadn't said much since they came back to the apartment; Aoshi was known to be the loner type, and Enishi looked deep in thought and didn't seem like he wanted to be disturbed.

'Where's that prison, exactly?' Saitou asked.

'It's on some island,' Kaoru replied, trying to recall exactly what they'd been told at the police station. 'Nobody knows the exact location except for its supervisors…that's why it's so difficult to break out of it.'

Saitou nodded silently. He took out his packet of cigarettes, started to pull one out, but saw Kaoru watching him warily. He smiled and put the cigarette back its place. 'Smoking's bad for your health?' he said quietly.

'Exactly,' Kaoru said, grinning. She looked up at Kenshin; he had been silent ever since Shinta was taken away. For a while, she had actually thought that Kenshin knew something about her and Shinta, before realizing that wasn't even remotely possible. 'Kenshin, are you okay?'

Kenshin smiled and kissed the top of her head, and that made her sink in her guilt all over again. 'Yes, Kaoru, I'm fine,' he said softly.

Kaoru tried to get herself together and she smiled reassuringly at him. 'You don't have to feel bad about turning Shinta in, you know,' she said softly. It was true that she had wanted Shinta dead, but the other decision seemed to make Kenshin feel better. 'I assure you, you did the right thing.'

'I know, and I wouldn't have done it without you, Kaoru,' he said, still smiling. 'Thanks.'

'You're more than welcome,' she replied. 'But I still want to know why you're so tense!'

'I'm not tense! How do you know I'm tense?' he demanded.

Kaoru had thought that she was the only tense one around, but it seemed as if Kenshin was feeling the same way, too. 'I'm sitting next to you! I can feel it from my position!' she explained. 'So, why are you tense?'

Kenshin sighed wearily. 'I'm just thinking about…something,' he admitted.

'And I assume that something's Shinta, right?' she asked tentatively. He sighed and nodded. 'Forget about him! He's gone now! We're safe now; there's nothing to worry about now that he's gone!' Kenshin opened his mouth to say something, but Sano, just then, decided to come into the room, dragging his suitcase behind him. Kaoru frowned at him. 'Sano, why are you dragging your suitcase behind you?' she asked curiously.

'That's what you do when you go to the airport, silly,' he told her, grinning.

Kaoru gasped and jumped up to her feet. 'You're leaving?' she cried.

'Well, yeah,' Sano said, rubbing the back of his neck. 'I'm going back to the States.'

'Why? Why are you going back to the States? Why don't you stay here for a while?' she asked, tugging at his sleeve.

'Well, you know, um…someone must take care of things in the Agency,' he said hastily.

Kaoru threw up her arms. 'Oh, for goodness sake, Sano! The Agency can survive without you! You don't have to go!' she said, exasperated. 'Stay here and enjoy your time with us…consider it a vacation!'

'Ah, let him go,' Saitou said from behind them. They both turned around and stared at him in disbelief; Saitou was actually siding with Sano? He smirked. 'He wants to go back to his girl. Isn't that right, Sagara?'

Kaoru blinked. 'Girl?' she repeated, while Sano threw rude hand gestures at Saitou. Comprehension dawned upon her and she looked back slowly at Sano. 'It's Megumi, right? Did you and Megumi hook up? How come you never told me before?'

Sano shrugged and grinned. 'Well, you were sorta running around with a mad assassin, Kaoru, so I really didn't get the chance to tell you, I'm really sorry,' he said solemnly, and Kaoru smacked his arm.

'Congratulations!' Kaoru said happily. 'I always thought you two were perfect for each other!'

'Thanks,' Sano said, grinning. He gave her a brief hug before turning around and looking at Saitou. 'You coming back with me, Hajime?'

'Nah, I'm staying here,' Saitou replied. He grabbed the newspaper lying on the table and started flipping through it. A small smile touched his thin lips. 'I like it. I think I might have my department transfer me to Japan.'

'Good, we'll be well-rid of you, then,' Sano said sarcastically.

'Baka ka,' Saitou muttered from behind his paper.

Sano faltered and the grin slipped off his face. He pointed an accusing finger in the direction of Saitou. 'There you go with that word again, Hajime! What does it mean?' Sano demanded angrily, while Misao laughed.

'It means, get gone,' Saitou said calmly.

'Didn't it mean _let's go_ the last time?' Sano said, fuming. 'I'm not stupid, Hajime!'

'Ah, well, you see, the meaning changes from situation to another,' Saitou said calmly.

'Hajime!' Sano exploded.

-

Kenshin bowed his head to Aoshi as the latter, sensing that Kenshin wanted privacy, got up from his chair and crossed the room to Misao. Kenshin sat down next to Enishi. 'Everything turned out well in the end, huh?' he said quietly. Enishi nodded silently. Kenshin smiled shortly at Enishi. 'You still think it was my fault Tomoe died, don't you?'

Enishi didn't meet his eye. 'If she didn't meet you, then she'd never have met Shinta,' he said coldly. 'So, yes, Himura, I do think it's your fault she died…it's true that you didn't kill her, but you still got her killed.'

'I know, I admit it was my fault,' Kenshin said quietly. 'I should've never gotten myself involved with Tomoe…but I loved her, Enishi, you must understand that.'

'Same way you love Kaoru?' Enishi asked.

Kenshin looked around at Kaoru, who was still arguing with Sano. 'No, Kaoru's different,' he whispered.

'Different?' Enishi repeated. Kenshin nodded. 'I love Kaoru too, you know,' Kenshin stared at him. 'But I stayed away from her…if you really love her; you'd never have approached her too…you could've gotten her killed.'

Kenshin smiled. 'I'm absolutely aware of that, Enishi,' he admitted. 'I used to think along your lines before, I was afraid to love some one after Tomoe died…but I'm really glad I met Kaoru.'

Enishi nodded, but didn't say anything.

Kenshin saw that he was watching Kaoru. 'You still haven't forgiven me, have you?' he asked. In reply, Enishi stood up from his chair and left the room. Moments later, Kenshin heard the door being slammed shut. 'Guess not.'

He heard Kaoru laughing from behind him, and he looked around at her. She was sitting with Misao and the rest, and she was talking and laughing happily, and a small smile touched his lips. Enishi may be right about the point where he said that he should stay away from Kaoru...but he was wrong about the other point; Kenshin would never allow Kaoru to be killed. He wasn't going to repeat his past mistake. Never.

-

After thirteen hours of traveling, he was finally here. Sano stood before the door to Megumi's apartment. He raised his fist to knock on the door, and hesitated. What would he tell Megumi? How would he act when she came to the door? Phone calls were a hell lot easier than face-to-face confrontations. He took in a deep breath, and knocked on the door. He dropped his hand back to his side, and waited nervously for Megumi to open the door. A few moments passed, and then he heard the sound of a key turning in the lock on the other side of the door. He gulped.

The door opened and Megumi stood in the doorway, wearing a skirt that reached up to her knee and a long sleeved t-shirt. Her mouth fell open slightly and she stared at him. 'Sanosuke…' she croaked. 'You're back.'

Sano grinned at her, and then he reached out and gently pulled her into his arms, and buried his face in her sweet-smelling hair. He felt her arms encircle his neck. 'Yes, I'm back,' he replied, softly. 'And it feels really good to be back.'

Megumi pulled her head back and looked up at him. 'When did you come back?' she asked.

'An hour ago,' he replied. 'And that hour was spent in the airport, mind you.'

Megumi smiled. 'You came to my house straight from the airport,' she said. 'I'm touched.'

'You should be,' he murmured. And without any warning, he bent his head down and kissed her. Megumi was taken by surprise, but yet, she returned the kiss. After a few moments, they pulled apart, and Sano smiled down at her. 'I love you, Megumi.'

Megumi's heart fluttered. She could still feel the kiss he had given her on her lips...and it was the best feeling she'd ever had in a long while. She looked up into his deep brown eyes. 'I love you, too, Sanosuke,' she whispered.

They kissed again...and this time they clung on to each other tightly, as if they feared that if they let go, the other might disappear. It was long before they broke apart, and that's only when they realized they were still standing outside the apartment.

Megumi was feeling rather breathless. She nervously tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and looked up at him. She swallowed. 'Would you like to come inside?' she murmured. 'I was just having breakfast…maybe you'd like to join me?'

Sano grinned cheerfully. 'Breakfast sounds great!' he exclaimed.

Megumi smiled and kissed him again. Then she slipped out of his arms, and pulled him by the hand into her apartment. 'Breakfast at my place is rather special,' she said casually, and Sano frowned, confused. 'Usually, I prefer to have breakfast in bed...especially when I'm having it with a gorgeous hunk.'

Comprehension dawned upon Sano, and his jaw dropped open. Megumi giggled as she closed the door, shutting the whole world away from them.

-

'So…you're finally going out with the _real _Kenshin,' Misao stated, as she pulled a comb through Kaoru's hair.

Kaoru smiled, and she could see herself blushing in the mirror. 'Yeah, I am,' she murmured. '…_finally_.'

Three days had passed since the night when Shinta was caught. Kenshin's name was finally cleared, and it was announced in all forms of media. _The hitokori Battousai was caught, and his twin brother, Kenshin, was innocent. _Kaoru didn't think she ever saw Kenshin this happy.

'When did he ask you out?' Misao asked.

'Today, after Kenshin had given a full testimony in the police station,' Kaoru replied. 'We were just going down the steps, and he grabbed my shoulder and turned me around so I would face him…and then he asked me.'

Kaoru had actually been thinking of leaving Kenshin, because she didn't want to feel like she's gone and cheated on him, but Kenshin had been so sweet and earnest with her...she just couldn't help but say yes when he had asked her out. She was determined to turn a new leaf and start over with Kenshin...and all thoughts about Shinta were definitely to be put behind her. Her main focus was Kenshin.

'That's so romantic,' Misao gushed, and then she pouted. 'I wish Aoshi could be half as romantic as Kenshin.'

Kaoru smiled. 'Don't worry, he'll ask you out someday…you have to be a bit patient with a guy like him,' she assured her, while dabbing a bit of powder on her face. She looked at Misao in the mirror. 'Where did Aoshi go, anyway?'

Misao finished combing Kaoru's hair and set the comb aside, and then she grabbed a few hairpins from the bureau, and started styling her hair. 'He went back to the Oniwubanshu headquarters,' she answered. 'He wanted to check on how things were going.'

Kaoru applied some lip gloss to her lips. 'Where is this headquarters, anyway?' she asked casually.

'Well, I would tell you,' Misao replied. She grinned and mimed slicing her throat. 'But then I'd have to kill you.'

'Ouch!' Kaoru said, grimacing. 'No, thank you. I'll think I'd rather keep my life.'

'Sorry, but we're just too secretive about our whereabouts, y'know?' Misao said, smiling apologetically.

'Tell me about it, you're so good about being secretive too!' Kaoru exclaimed, rounding on her. She pointed an accusing finger at the girl. 'When you were staying with me, I never suspected you in the least! You're so good!'

'Really? Thanks!' Misao said happily. 'Because Aoshi kept ranting about how I don't know how to do my job!'

'No, no, you did well,' Kaoru insisted. She paused for moment as she tried to remember something. Her eyes widened when she did. 'Oh my God! Kenny! I just remembered him!! Oh, God! I left him in the apartment all by himself!!'

Misao laughed. 'Oh, don't worry about Kenny,' she soothed her. 'I already took care of him. I asked your neighbor, Ms. Parker, to take care of him while you were away. You know what a cat-lover she is, she'll take good care of Kenny.'

Kaoru sighed in relief. 'Oh, thank you so much, Misao,' she murmured, plopping down on the chair she was sitting on.

'No problem, I'm glad I could help,' Misao replied. She added the final touch to Kaoru's hair. 'There you go, nice and simple, just like you wanted.'

Kaoru turned her head slightly so she could see her hair. She smiled. 'Thanks, Misao,' she said softly.

'You look awesome!' Misao told her. 'Kenshin will be really pleased!'

Just then, they heard a soft knock on the door. 'Kaoru, are you ready?' came Kenshin's voice through the door.

Kaoru exchanged a quick look with Misao, and the other girl nodded encouragingly. 'Yes, Kenshin, I'm ready,' she called back.

-

'You look beautiful,'

Kaoru smiled and blushed. 'Kenshin, you've said the same thing at least a hundred times till now,' she told him. 'You can stop now, it's okay, I don't mind.'

Kenshin shook his head and fixed her in a serious gaze which made her skin prickle. 'I don't want to stop,' he replied. 'I want to continue to say that to remind myself of what I almost lost because I was such a wimp.'

Kaoru touched his shoulder. 'No, Kenshin, don't say that,' she said softly. 'You're not a wimp, you're one of the bravest people I've ever known…if I had to live with a brother such as Shinta, I would've gone insane.'

'But I never tried to stop him; I let him do whatever he wanted…' Kenshin started to protest.

'Kenshin, stop,' Kaoru said sharply; she couldn't have Kenshin apologize to her, when she was the one who should be apologizing over and over again. 'I've lived with Shinta for just two days, and I know what you were going through…Shinta kept threatening to kill people if I didn't obey him, and I didn't want anyone to die because of me…I'm sure that's what happened with you as well…but you stopped him now, and that's what counts.'

'I only got lucky,' Kenshin murmured, sounding sheepish. 'If Shinta had a weapon, none of us would've gotten away safely.'

'From my point of view, I say that it's the better brother who won,' she replied. 'So stop trying to come up with excuses for yourself.'

Kenshin smiled. 'Thank you, Kaoru,' he said softly

'You're welcome,' she replied. She picked up her menu. 'Okay, so let's order…and it'd better be something nice, we're celebrating your freedom here.'

Kenshin nodded as he picked up his menu. They took their pick of the meals available, and the waiter came to take their orders. He told them the meal will be ready in a few minutes. Kenshin noticed that the waiter kept shooting furtive glances at him, and so were the other diners in the restaurant. He sighed wearily. Kaoru reached across the table and held his hand.

'It's okay,' she whispered. 'They're still not used to you; it'll take time for them to adjust to the fact that you're not Battousai.'

'I wish all the people were like you, Kaoru, and then I wouldn't be in this situation,' he said, sounding disgruntled. 'You accepted me fairly quickly, remember?'

It pained her to smile at him. _No, Kenshin; you mustn't wish for that. I'm horrible...I really am. I'm just not worth it. _'If they came and looked into your eyes the way I did, then they'd believe you immediately,' she said softly.

'Great,' Kenshin mumbled. 'So all I have to do now is put myself on display and ask people to come and gawk into my eyes.'

'Kenshin, I'm serious!' she protested.

Kenshin smiled. 'I know, I'm sorry,' he apologized, reaching out and stroking her face. 'I really hope it's over soon.' He looked around and saw the waiter approaching them. 'Look, here comes our meal…20 dollars the waiter put poison in the Miso soup!'

'Kenshin! That's not funny!' Kaoru scolded him.

The waiter quickly placed the plates and dishes before them, and walked away immediately without asking them if they require anything else. Kaoru saw Kenshin reaching for his chopsticks, and she halted him. 'Let's propose a toast first,' she told him, picking up her glass of wine. Kenshin nodded and picked up his glass. 'To Kenshin, the kindest swordsman to tread the surface of the Earth.'

They clinked glasses together.

Kenshin smiled. 'My turn,' he said, and raised his glass again. 'To Kaoru, the most beautiful girl I have ever set eyes upon.'

Kaoru blushed as they clinked their glasses. For the hundredth time that night, she felt the guilt eating at her, and she had to fight the tears which were threatening to leak from her eyes. 'Thank you, Kenshin,' she said softly. She put her glass down. 'Alright, then, shall we eat?'

She had a difficult time eating, though. She had never used chopsticks before in her life, and Shinta had taken her to a restaurant which actually had spoons, so she didn't have to deal with this problem. Huffing angrily, she tried to pick up a piece of meat with her sticks, but failed as the meat kept slipping from between her sticks.

'Kaoru,' Kenshin said in a choked tone; he was obviously trying hard not to laugh.

'What?' she said, snappishly.

'Here, let me help you,' he offered. He reached forward, took the chopsticks out of her hand, caught that particular piece of meat quickly, and held it up for her. 'Here you go.'

Kaoru blushed, and opened her mouth as Kenshin reached out to feed her himself. He placed the piece of meat in her mouth, and sat back on his chair. 'Thanks,' she said, after she had swallowed. 'But wouldn't it be easier if you asked the waiter for a fork?'

'Yeah, good point,' he agreed. He summoned the waiter, and said something to him in Japanese. The waiter nodded, and came back moments later with a spoon, a fork and a knife.

'_Arigatou_,' Kaoru said, accepting them from him. The waiter nodded and walked away. Grinning happily, Kaoru set about to eating her meal. She looked up at Kenshin and saw that he was watching her. 'Er…is something wrong? Do I have noodle sauce on my face or something?'

'No, you're perfect,' he replied, smiling.

'Erm...thanks,' Kaoru retorted, wiping her mouth on her napkin just the same. 'Why aren't you touching your plate, then?'

'I'm just taking a break,' he replied, and she nodded. 'Hey, Kaoru?'

'Yes?' she said, looking up again.

'Do you love me?' he asked.

Kaoru stared at him. Then she slowly put down her fork, and put her hands in her lap. 'Of course I do, Kenshin,' she said softly, and it was the truth; no matter how much she had been attracted to Shinta, the one she truly loved was Kenshin. 'I love you.'

'Will you do a favor for me, then?' he asked.

'Sure, anything,' she agreed.

'Will you marry me?' he asked.

Kaoru stared at him again, and then her eyes welled with tears as she looked upon the diamond ring Kenshin was now holding for her. She couldn't help it; she started crying. She couldn't do this to Kenshin...she couldn't just say yes to him when she'd just gone and cheated on him. Yet...she found herself raising a trembling hand, and shuddered as Kenshin slowly slipped the ring into her finger. He smiled at her, and then leaned forward over the table and cupped her face between his hands.

He wiped her tears away with his thumb. 'You're an angel, ever told you that before?' he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her.

She felt that this was the right thing to do; she just couldn't imagine her life without Kenshin...she just couldn't, at least, that was what she was trying to convince herself. 'Yeah, you did,' she said softly, remembering the time when he first asked her out. 'Once.'

Kenshin leaned in closer; there was now only an inch between the two of them. 'Good, because you are,' he whispered. His lips found hers and he locked them in a deep and gentle kiss. He pulled away for a moment, and smiled at her. 'I love you, Kaoru.'

'I love you, too, Kenshin,' she replied, before leaning forward for another kiss.

_Not Shinta...Kenshin. My loyalty remains with Kenshin. _

-

**A/N: There! I'm done! And we have a happy ending! Yay! I hope you all liked the ending; I tried to do my best in this chapter since it was the one which kinda decides everything. Hey, Shirou Shinjin, I liked your version of the ending, so, tell me, did you like mine? **

**I took the dialogue where Kenshin was asking Kaoru to marry him from a movie; I hope it's legal. If it's not, please tell me, okay?**

**Oh, and by the way, this isn't the end. I still have an EPILOGUE! Yes! You still get one more chappie! Aren't you happy? Not just that; you're even getting a SEQUEL! (Note to self: Stop acting like such a cheesy commercial). Anyway, if you've read this chapter and you're thinking of closing it without sending a review, then think again! I want you all to review or I'm sending my Death Eaters after you! (I've been reading too much Harry Potter!)**

_**- **S. N. B. _


	22. Epilogue

**D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. **

**Hello! Okay, I said that I was editting and rewriting the story, right? Well, half of this chapter had been erased and rewritten, and this half is going to affect the sequel of this story. When you read it, you'll find out why. I'll meet you at the end of the chappie, okay? Enjoy!!**

**Warning: You're in for a bit of a shock.**

**Epilogue**

'Alright, Miss Kamiya. You may leave now. Please schedule an appointment with the secretary outside. Oh, and again, congratulations!'

Kaoru just smiled weakly at the doctor. Smoothing down her clothes, she turned to the door, and with a rather shaky hand, she reached for the doorknob and twisted it. She pulled it open and slowly took a step outside the room. Kenshin, who was waiting outside, jumped up to his feet when he saw her, and he rushed to her side. He grabbed her gently around the shoulders and peered into her face.

'Kaoru, sweetheart, are you alright?' he asked anxiously. 'You look rather pale. What did the doctor tell you?'

Kaoru mouthed wordlessly for a few moments, and then she gestured at a nearby chair. She opened her mouth and strained to speak her next words. 'I...I just need to sit down a bit,' she said hoarsely. God, she sounded really awful.

Kenshin nodded, and he led her towards the chair. Kaoru slowly lowered herself onto the chair, and he knelt down on the floor next to her. 'Erm...should I get you something to drink?' he asked uncertainly. 'Water, perhaps?'

Kaoru nodded silently, and Kenshin immediately left to get her a glass of water. Kaoru hugged herself and doubled over her knees. She could already feel the tears welling in her eyes, and it was taking her every ounce of energy to fight them back. She was glad that Kenshin wasn't with her at the moment, because she really wanted to be alone. She knew that if she set eyes on him, she'd burst out into tears, and that would lead to awkward questions...and she really didn't want to go through that. In fact, she didn't want to set eyes on Kenshin for a long while, but she knew that that was a wish which couldn't be granted.

She was pregnant.

Tests had come out, and the doctor had told her that she was pregnant, and already in her third week. Pregnancy was something to be happy about, but in her case, it made her feel like she wanted to commit suicide.

Three weeks ago was exactly the time when she had gone and slept with Shinta. The child in her belly wasn't Kenshin's child, and she could tell because it was only two weeks since she had slept with Kenshin. She was pregnant with Shinta's child.

She was engaged to be married to Kenshin and yet, at the same time, she was pregnant with Shinta's child.

Kaoru just couldn't live with herself. She felt like she deserved to be burned at stake or something, because she didn't think there was a greater sin than to be pregnant with the brother of the man you love...and his murdering bastard of a brother at that. She was pregnant with a murderer's child. She, Kaoru, the one known for being a straight arrow, was just as bad as all these guys she used to throw in jail...or so she felt.

'Here's your glass of water,'

Kaoru hastily wiped away her tears and smiled up at Kenshin. She gratefully accepted the glass of water from him. 'Thank you,' she said softly. She put the rim of the glass to her lips, and took a sip of the cold water. She put it down. 'Thank you, Kenshin.'

Kenshin knelt down before her and placed his hands on her knees. He looked up at her, concerned. 'Kaoru, darling, what did the doctor tell you?' he asked her. 'Is there something wrong with you? Are you...sick?'

Kaoru wished she was sick. She wished she was down with cancer...anything was better than this. She shook her head. 'No, I'm not sick; there's nothing wrong with me,' she assured him.

'Well, what is it, then?' he demanded.

Kaoru looked down in dismay at his hopeful face, and for a brief moment, she actually thought of not telling him at all and going ahead and having an abortion, but she quickly shook these thoughts out of her head, horrified that she was merely having them in the first place. She smiled at Kenshin. 'I'm...I'm pregnant, Kenshin,' she finally told him.

Kenshin's face went slack, and now it was Kaoru who was watching him anxiously; wondering if he might a suspect a thing. She found herself breathing out in relief when a huge grin crossed his face. 'Pregnant?' he repeated excitedly, and she nodded. 'Oh, my God!! You're pregnant! You're pregnant!! How amazing is that?'

'Pretty amazing,' she replied, straining to keep the smile on her face.

Kenshin felt her stomach for a moment and then he looked up at her. 'Our...our baby is in there!!' he exclaimed.

'Yes, our baby is in there,' Kaoru lied. _But...it's not your baby, Kenshin; it's Shinta's. _

Kenshin leaned forward and kissed her. 'I love you,' he whispered. 'I didn't think there could be anyway that I might love you more than I already do now, but you proved me wrong. You...the baby...I just don't think I deserve this.'

Kaoru couldn't say anything. _No, Kenshin...you're right; you don't deserve this. You deserve someone better than me. Loads better. _She felt tears well in her eyes and roll down her cheeks. 'I love you, too, Kenshin,' was all she could say.

-

Shinta allowed himself to be stirred down the corridor by the two bulky men who stood at each of his sides. They stopped before an iron door, and one of the men grabbed the note and pushed it open.

They pushed Shinta inside, and he staggered a bit before regaining his balance. He took a look around and realized he was in one of those rooms where criminals had their mug shots taken. It felt weird to be in one of those rooms, especially since he never thought he'd be in one…ever.

'Move it,' one of the men said gruffly.

He pushed him towards a wall where a shining white board had been hung. Shinta stood up against it, and faced a man who was holding a camera. He clicked the first picture and Shinta was momentarily blinded by the bright white flash.

'Turn around to your side,' the man instructed him. Shinta turned around and the man took another picture of him. 'And now the other side.'

Shinta scowled and turned to his other side. The man took his third picture. Shinta vowed silently that when he escaped, he was going to come back and burn the pictures and kill this asshole of a photographer.

'Ok, I'm done now, you can take him,' he told the two blocks who had brought him in.

Shinta shot a death glare at the photographer before the two men dragged him out of the room. Once they were out the door, one of the men stepped up and blindfolded him with a black piece of cloth. Shinta cursed silently under his breath as they both started dragging him down the corridor.

He hated himself for this. He hated Kenshin. And he hated Kaoru. Yes; he hated Kaoru.

They all contributed in the situation he was being put in at the moment. He allowed himself to fall in love with Kaoru; he showed her his weaker and more emotional side, he tried to make her fall in love with him, but in vain. Kaoru had in turn hurt him, ran out on him, and wanted to see him dead. And Kenshin had betrayed him, stole the heart of the girl he had love so much, shot him in the leg, and gave him in to the authorities. And now he was probably having the time of his life with Kaoru.

Shinta gritted his teeth, and balled his hands in really tight fists, his finger nails dug into his skin. He felt warm blood wetting his hands, and he let out a contented sigh; God knows how long it will take before he'll be able to feel the blood of somebody else's on his hands…his heart longed for his sword and the blood-shed which accompanied it.

After what seemed like five minutes, they finally reached to a stop. Shinta heard the sound of keys being turned into a lock and then his blindfold was removed. Then the chains around his wrists and ankles were unlocked as well. Shinta rubbed his wrists.

On of the men shoved him into the dark cell which stood before him. Shinta stumbled inside but didn't fall. He regained his balance and turned around to gaze coolly at the bloke who was locking his door. He could sense that his gaze was making the later uncomfortable, because he quickly locked the door and hurried away, muttering something which sounded like, 'Bloody bastard.' His friend went after him.

Shinta continued to stand in the middle of his cell, his hands shoved deeply into the pockets of his prison pants. It took him only a few moments to register his surroundings; a small bunk, a washing basin, a lavatory seat, and a small wooden desk with a chair. Shinta gazed upon all of this with extreme distaste. He knew he'd have to live with this until he managed to escape; but the thought wasn't comforting nevertheless. He started to head towards the bunk when somebody spoke to him.

'I was wondering when you would come in here,' the voice, obviously belonging to a man, drawled.

Shinta peered out through his iron bars at the cell across from him. He saw a man in there, perched on his wooden chair and gazing out intently at him. Shinta straightened up; a smirk on his face.

'Shishio Makoto,' he sneered, recognizing the assassin he knew from old. 'I was wondering where they took you…it has been five years, hasn't it?'

'Yeah, and this place ain't getting any better,' the man replied.

'If so, how come you never tried to escape?' Shinta asked the older man. 'I thought you hated imprisonment.'

'I do, and I would escape if I knew a way out of this damned place,' Shishio muttered. 'But you're not so great yourself; you were always at how you were never going to be arrested, but look at you now…how did they get to you, anyway?'

'You just mind your own business,' Shinta snapped at him, turning around from him.

'Ah, they're always touchy at the beginning,' Shishio said knowingly. 'But you'll have to get used to it, Battousai, you're in for a long stay.'

_Battousai._

Yes; he was Battousai, and Battousai will find a way out of this. He'll find his way out and go for his revenge. They weren't going to put him down. He was getting out of here. He was going to make him fall for him…all of them. They were going to fall at his feet. Especially Kaoru.

'Don't count on it, Makoto,' he murmured. 'Because _I_, as you said yourself, _am_ Battousai.'

-

**A/N: And YES! There's gonna be a sequel! Now, tell me, aren't you shocked? Who expected the story to turn out like this, eh? I guess you can see why I'll be changing the sequel, right? I mean, Kaoru's pregnant with Shinta's child, and the story's going to be entirely different from now on. I really hope you liked it, though, because I'll be wanting reviews!!! You know, this story took a good 180 pages on MS Word, and thinking back, I feel amazed that I've actually managed to write this much!!**

**Oh, and some of you asked me about the movie I got the dialogue from; the movie is called, "_A Walk to Remember_"; watch it, trust me, it's amazing!**

**And finally, I would like to thank…**

**Adelaide MacGregor, LazyHop, skenshingumi, Strawberry'd, Crystal Winds, Aldailyn, BlueberryStain, royal blueKitsune, Clueless Girl, Grace 07, deal-with-it, Jisusaken, kenshinlover2002, gabyhyatt, half-breed-demon-fox, Brittanie Love, Neko-Yuff 16, SaPpHiRe AmBeR, Crewel, loveywhatever, Via X Infinito, Reignashii, jeez, kawaiimeeh, Hikari-Kawaii, blood rose, All Knowing One 412, Valaroma, Mizz-Clumsy, Blessed, hisui-chan02, tennisbum, wh00t, Anime Girl, Lynnah, Me, Brickwall847, Kira the Mizu Ryuu, Fae Black, 1kenshinlover, ss1128, Sims are awsome, Shimmering Tear, Ken, Ken, Dark Witch of Spira, locatamy, Donbu, Hawk-EVB, achi, chakitattyla2h8, tiffany, xshatteredtear, wai-mi, tomboi-chic, sakuya-kaleido, The Mystic Firefly, Tsubasa wo Motsu Mono, Wolf Jade, Crystal Winds, Kaoru4, angelbecca, fly without wings, blueangel-maggie1723, nes, Misau, TearsofInfinity, Moon-Dragon 1288, Sanctuary-Enigma, beybladegal24, Emily Rueckert, meant2be, silver0150, lynne, wah, Nika Phoenix, Waffles01, -infidelMaki-, Ann, midnite cherry blossomz, Yahiko-chan, Shirou Shinjin, Tameka-tanuki-jouchan, tasha, Anarana221, RosenMaiden, XxAznLadyXx, mtgranola, Shinken-Tamura Yoshimi, Battousai-chan, SesshomaruEdwardlover13, KIacK, Sheababy92, Kinomoto, Karla Rodriguez, Kira R.Chan, anonymous, mimiru.hack, aya nightwing, pyramidgirl89, KisaiAyani, Ice Angel Kaoru, joann, Lendra-chan, Misao-chan, bishoujo21, Iris Night, tiffany888, Story Junky, Katana no Mizu Ryuu, The Angel of Death 14, Estel-Elf-Lover, nadachichan, Val, kobakawa reisha, marstanuki, Angle81**

…**for reading and reviewing my story! Thanks!**

**Anyway, I babbled too much and I gotta split now. There's a lot of homework to be done! **

_**- **S. N. B. _


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